Editing Alliance Atlantis (section)

{{Short description|Former Canadian film and media company}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm|Viva Films}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.
| logo = [[File:Alliance Atlantis.svg|250px|class=skin-invert]]
| traded_as = {{TSX was|AAC}}<br />{{TSX was|AAC.B}}<br />{{NASDAQ was|AACB}}
| type = [[Public company|Public]]
| fate = Split up:
* Television catalogue sold to [[GS Capital Partners]], including co-rights to the ''[[CSI (franchise)|CSI]]'' franchise
* International operations sold to [[Echo Bridge Home Entertainment|Echo Bridge Entertainment]] excluding international distribution rights to ''CSI'', which were sold to [[CBS Media Ventures|CBS Paramount Television]]
* Broadcasting assets sold to [[Canwest]] and [[Goldman Sachs]], continues to exist as Corus Media Holdings, Inc.
* Film division (Motion Picture Distribution LP) sold to EdgeStone Capital Partners and [[GS Capital Partners]] and rebranded as [[Alliance Films]]
| successors = {{Plainlist|
* [[Corus Entertainment]] (television channels)
* [[Alliance Films]] and [[Lionsgate Canada#eOne Films|eOne Films]] (films)
* [[Echo Bridge Entertainment]] and [[Lionsgate Television]] (television catalogue)
* [[WildBrain]], [[Studio 100]] and [[Hasbro Entertainment]] (children’s catalogue)
* [[Cineplex Entertainment]] and [[AMC Theatres]] (movie theatres)
}}
| predecessors = {{Plainlist|
* [[Alliance Films|Alliance Entertainment Corporation]]
* [[Atlantis Communications]]
}}
| founded = {{start date and age|1998|09|27}}
| founder = [[Michael MacMillan]]
| defunct = {{end date and age|2008|06|23}} (operations)
| hq_location = 121 [[Bloor Street]] East
| hq_location_city = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]
| hq_location_country = [[Canada]]
| subsid = [[Alliance Cinemas]]
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20050203034501/http://www.allianceatlantis.com allianceatlantis.com] (archived)
}}

'''Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.''' (commonly known as '''Alliance Atlantis''') was a Canadian media company that operated primarily as a [[specialty service]] operator in [[Canada]]. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]], [[Los Angeles]], [[London]], [[Dublin]], [[Madrid]], [[Barcelona]], [[Shannon, County Clare|Shannon]], and [[Sydney]].

Alliance Atlantis was the result of a merger of two companies: '''[[Atlantis Communications]]''', founded in 1978 by [[Michael MacMillan]], Janice L. Platt and Seaton S. MacLean, and '''[[Alliance Films|Alliance Communications]]''', founded in 1984 by Stephen Roth, [[Denis Héroux]], [[John Kemeny (film producer)|John Kemeny]], [[Robert Lantos]], Andras Hamori and Susan Cavan as Alliance Entertainment. Alliance Communications and Atlantis Communications merged to form Alliance Atlantis in 1998 which was a member of the North American Broadcasting Association (NABA).<!--<ref name=AllianceHistory>https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/75/Alliance-Atlantis-Communications-Inc.html {{bare URL inline|date=April 2023}}</ref>-->

The company ceased to exist in 2007 as the broadcasting division was acquired by [[Canwest|Canwest Global Communications]] and an affiliate of [[Goldman Sachs]] that year. The motion picture division was then spun off and operated independently as [[Alliance Films]], headquartered in [[Montreal]] (subsequently sold to [[Entertainment One]] and later, [[Lionsgate]]), and the international television distribution division was sold to [[Echo Bridge Entertainment]].

All of the former Alliance Atlantis specialty networks, except for the now-defunct [[BBC Kids (Canadian TV channel)|BBC Kids]], are now owned by [[Corus Entertainment]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.thestar.com/business/article/803719 | location=Toronto | work=The Star | title=Shaw buying up TV assets | first=Dana | last=Flavelle | date=May 3, 2010}}</ref> The films division was later acquired by [[Entertainment One]] group and folded into eOne on January 9, 2013. Most of the assets of eOne, which included Alliance Atlantis' films division and television library, were later acquired by Lionsgate on December 27, 2023.

The Alliance name survived under the [[Alliance Cinemas]] banner until January 1, 2021; the theaters under the chain are now owned by [[Cineplex Entertainment]].