A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as a television series based on a pre-existing one, or as a new company formed from a university research group. In literature, especially in milieu based popular fictional book series like mysteries, westerns, fantasy, or science fiction the term sub-series is generally used instead of spin-off, but with essentially the same meaning. An organization or organisation (read more about -ize vs -ise) is a formal group of people with one or more shared goals. ... An entity is something that has a distinct, separate existence, though it need not be a material existence. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Representation of a university class, 1350s. ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... The social environment or social context is a group of identical or similar social positions and social roles. ... A book series is a sequence of books with common characteristics, typically marketed as a group by a particular author or publisher. ... Mystery fiction is a distinct subgenre of detective fiction that entails the occurrence of an unknown event which requires the protagonist to make known (or solve). ... Broncho Billy Anderson, from The Great Train Robbery The Western movie is one of the classic American film genres. ... // For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation) Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...

In such genre fiction, the term parallels the usage in television as it is usually meant to indicate work signifying a substantial change in narrative viewpoint and activity from that (previous) storyline based around the activities of the series' principal protagonist(s) and so is a shift to that action and overall narrative thread of some other protagonist(s), which now becomes the central or main thread (storyline) of the new sub-series. The new protagonist generally appears first as a minor or supporting character in the main story line within a given milieu, and it is very common for the previous protagonist to have a supporting or cameo role, at the least as a historical mention, in the new sub-series. A genre is a division of a particular form of art or utterance according to criteria particular to that form. ... In the fine arts, a work or a work of artis a creation, such as a song, book or a painting. ... // Regular Context The line of a story. ... A narrative thread, or plot thread or sometimes, but more ambigously, a storyline refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry All knowing sort of narration. ... An environment is a complex of external factors that acts on a system and determines its course and form of existence. ...

Non-fiction spin-offs

Spin-offs as a descriptive term can also include a dissenting faction of a membership organization, a sect of a cult, a denomination of a church, a diversified branch of a large corporation, or a start-up company formed by members of a research group at a university. In business, a spin-off is essentially the opposite of a merger. In computing, a spin-off from a software project is often called a fork. Dissent is a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to an idea (eg. ... A faction is a group of people connected by a shared belief or opinion within a larger group. ... A cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) is an association of persons who join together to carry on an economic activity of mutual benefit, in an egalitarian fashion. ... A sect is generally a small religious or political group that has branched off from a larger established group. ... In religion and sociology, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small and recently founded religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. ... A religious denomination, (also simply denomination) is a large, long-established subgroup within a religion that has existed for many years. ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ... A corporation is a legal person which, while being composed of natural persons, exists completely separately from them. ... A startup company is a company recently formed, usually until IPO or acquisition. ... Representation of a university class, 1350s. ... Wall Street, Manhattan is the location of the New York Stock Exchange and is often used as a symbol for the world of business. ... The phrase mergers and acquisitions or M&A refers to the aspect of corporate finance strategy and management dealing with the merging and acquiring of different companies as well as assets. ... In software, a project fork or branch happens when a developer (or a group of them) takes code from a project and starts to develop independently of the rest. ...

The term is also used for concepts or products spun off a research project, for example methods or materials pioneered during the Manhattan Project (spin-off: Commercial Nuclear Power) or during the Space Race (spin-offs: Many, Integrated Circuits and hence most modern electronics, Freeze-dried foods, satellites, et-cetera, and et. al.). The Manhattan Project resulted in the development of the first nuclear weapons, and the first-ever nuclear detonation at the Trinity test of July 16, 1945. ... For other uses, see Space Race (disambiguation). ... Integrated circuit showing memory blocks, logic and input/output pads around the periphery A monolithic integrated circuit (also known as IC, microchip, silicon chip, computer chip or chip) is a miniaturized electronic circuit (consisting mainly of semiconductor devices, as well as passive components) which has been manufactured in the surface... The field of electronics is the study and use of systems that operate by controlling the flow of electrons (or other charge carriers) in devices such as thermionic valves and semiconductors. ... In a typical phase diagram, the boundary between gas and liquid runs from the triple point to the critical point. ... For other uses, please see Satellite (disambiguation) A satellite is an object that orbits another object (known as its primary). ...

Media

The process of deriving new radio or television programs from existing ones is also referred to as spinning off (see list of television spin-offs). Spin-offs work with varying degrees of success. Some become very popular and last for a number of seasons, others exceed the popularity of the forebearing show and others are poorly received and have considerably shorter life spans. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A spin-off in television is a new series which contains either characters or theme elements from an old series. ...

This phenomenon was already established in radio before the advent of commercial broadcast television, for example The Great Gildersleeve was a spin-off from Fibber McGee and Molly. The Great Guildersleeve might even have been the very first spin-off, when the popular character from Fibber McGee and Molly was given his own show.-1... Jim and Marian Jordan were featured in 1947 NBC promotional art by Sam Berman. ...

Jack Benny's popular radio program spawned at least two spin-offs when blustery bandleader Phil Harris and naif Dennis Day launched their own programs after their success on Benny's show. Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974), an American comedian, vaudeville performer, and radio, television, and film actor, was one of the biggest stars in classic American radio and was also a major television personality. ... Phil Harris (b. ... Dennis Day (May 21, 1918 - June 22, 1988) Irish American singer who appeared for years on Jack Bennys radio and television shows. ...

Variants of spin-offs

Television spin-offs come in several variations, including:

• A supporting character or characters in an existing series is given their own show in which they become the main focus. The original series continues without them and there may be some crossover of characters between the shows on occasion (e.g. Angel from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Flo from Alice, The Ropers from Three's Company, Daria from Beavis and Butt-head)

• New characters are specially incorporated into an existing series for the sole purpose of being launched into their own show that will feature no regular characters from the original series, except possibly as guest appearances (e.g. Empty Nest from The Golden Girls, Melrose Place from Beverly Hills, 90210, or Boston Legal from The Practice).
• Regular characters from a series continue in their own series after the original series ends (e.g. George and Mildred and Robin's Nest from Man About the House; Frasier from Cheers; Joey from Friends). This is usually done with the same actors, though not always (e.g. Trapper John, M.D.).
• A new series is started with the same theme and existing in the same universe as the original series, but may not necessarily have the same characters. Examples of this type are the Star Trek, Stargate, Law & Order, and CSI series. These are sometimes called franchises. The reality shows Survivor, Big Brother and The Amazing Race also operate in this manner.

Angel was the popular spin-off from the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ... Buffy the Vampire Slayer was an American television series inspired by the 1992 film of the same name. ... This redirect page has been listed on Wikipedia:Redirects for deletion. ... Alice was an American television sitcom series which ran from August 31, 1976 to July 2, 1985 on CBS. The series was based on the movie Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore (1974). ... The Ropers was an American sitcom that ran from March 1979 to April 1980. ... Threes Company is an American sitcom that ran from 1977 to 1984 on ABC. // Basic description The show was a remake of the British sitcom Man About the House and revolved around two women and a man sharing an apartment together. ... Daria was an American animated television series, created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn, and was a spin-off of Beavis and Butt-head. ... Beavis and Butt-Head is an American animated television series that originally aired on the cable television channel MTV from 1993 to 1997, and can now be seen in re-runs on MTV2. ... Empty Nest is a television sitcom that ran on NBC for seven seasons from 1988 to 1995. ... The Golden Girls was a popular American sitcom that originally aired Saturday nights on NBC from September 14, 1985 to September 7, 1992. ... Melrose Place is a TV series that ran between 1992 and 1999, created by Darren Star. ... Beverly Hills 90210 was a popular primetime television soap opera that aired from 1990 to 2000 on the Fox Network. ... Boston Legal is an American television series that began airing on the ABC network in October 2004. ... The Practice was a long-running (March 4, 1997 - May 16, 2004, eight seasons) ABC legal drama TV series created by David E. Kelley about a Boston, Massachusetts law firm. ... George and Mildred was a British sitcom of the 1970s produced by Thames Television. ... Robins Nest was a British television sitcom. ... Man About the House was a British sitcom, made by Thames Television for ITV. It ran for six series, between August 1973 and April 1976. ... Frasier was a critically acclaimed American TV situation comedy. ... Cheers was a long-running American situation comedy produced by Charles-Burrows-Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television for NBC. Cheers was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles. ... Joey was a short-lived American sitcom starring Matt LeBlanc, reprising his role as Joey Tribbiani from the popular sitcom Friends. ... Friends was one of the longest-running and most popular American television sitcoms of the 1990s. ... Trapper John, M.D. was a television series spinoff of the film M*A*S*H that ran on CBS from September 23, 1979 to September 4, 1986. ... Star Trek is an American science-fiction franchise spanning six unique television series and ten feature films, in addition to hundreds of novels, computer and video games, fan stories, and other works of fiction. ... An activated Stargate, the central object of the fictional Stargate universe, here depicted in the SG-1 television series. ... Law & Order is an American television police procedural and legal drama set in New York City. ... CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a popular Alliance Atlantis/CBS police procedural television series, running since October 2000, about a team of forensic scientists. ... Reality television is a genre of television programming in which the fortunes of real life people (as opposed to fictional characters played by actors) are followed. ... Survivor redirects here. ... Big Brother is a popular reality television format, where, over 10 weeks or so, a number of contestants (typically 10 or 12) try to avoid periodic publicly-voted evictions from a communal house and hence win a cash prize. ... The Amazing Race is a reality game show normally broadcast in one-hour episodes in which teams of two or four race around the world in competition with other teams. ...

Notable Spin-Offs

• Angel was a popular spin-off, based on the character of Angel (the vampire with a soul) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series ran for five seasons.

• All in the Family is responsible for several spin-offs. Maude and The Jeffersons both featured characters that began on All in the Family. Maude is notable in that it spun-off Good Times. The main character from All in the Family, Archie Bunker, continued in a retooled version of the series called Archie Bunker's Place. All in the Family has about ten spin-off "descendants."

• The Mary Tyler Moore Show spun-off Rhoda and Phyllis as well as Lou Grant.

• The longest running spin-off is The Simpsons, which was created as a series of animated segments for the sketch series The Tracey Ullman Show, and featured the voices of four cast-members. In one episode of "The Simpsons", secondary-characters are given their own segments in a so-called "spin-off showcase", parodying classic TV series.

• Happy Days, itself a spin-off from Love, American Style, also spun-off multiple shows: Laverne & Shirley, Joanie Loves Chachi, and Mork & Mindy.

• The only daytime soap opera to spin-off a primetime soap is As the World Turns. In 1965, the producers capitalized on the popularity of the character Lisa Miller Hughes and created a limited-run show around her character, called Our Private World. A year after the nighttime show ended, Eileen Fulton, Lisa's portrayer, returned to ATWT, where she remains today.

• Before the final season of M*A*S*H the main cast voted as to whether or not to continue the series. The final vote was 4-3 against. William Christopher, Jamie Farr, and Harry Morgan wanted to continue work on M*A*S*H, and, after the 11th season, they began work on AfterMASH. It lasted just two seasons and 30 episodes, with one unaired (the final one). Trapper John M.D. was another, more successful, spin-off from the movie M*A*S*H.

• Star Trek: The Next Generation is an example of a popular spin-off. It was a spin-off from the original Star Trek television series and movies. Many fans consider The Next Generation to be the pinnacle of the franchise. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise are also spinoffs of the original series.

• Crusade is a spin-off of the original Babylon 5 series.

• Frasier is one of the most popular spin-off series of all time, based on the character Dr. Frasier Crane from the American sitcom Cheers. The series ran for eleven seasons.

• The Law & Order series has spawned a total of five spin-offs: Special Victims Unit, Criminal Intent, Crime & Punishment (a documentary series as opposed to scripted drama), Trial by Jury, and Conviction.

• CSI, the popular series produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, has produced two spin-offs: CSI: Miami and CSI: NY. Both connected to the original series by a cross-over episode.

• The producers of the film U.S. Marshals stated that it was a spin-off from, rather than a sequel to, The Fugitive.

• Spin-offs can even occur in video games. For example, the Wario Land series began as a spin-off from the Super Mario Land series (Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3), which was itself a spin-off of the Super Mario Bros. video game series, which in turn was a spin-off from Donkey Kong.

For more examples of spin-off shows on TV, see the List of television spin-offs. Angel was the popular spin-off from the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ... Angel (born 1727 in Galway, Ireland) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television programs, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. ... Buffy the Vampire Slayer was an American television series inspired by the 1992 film of the same name. ... All in the Family is a popular and acclaimed American situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971 until April 8, 1979, when the final original episode aired. ... For other uses, see Maude (disambiguation) Maude is a half-hour American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972 until April 29, 1978. ... For the South Park episode of the same name, see The Jeffersons (South Park). ... Good Times was an American sitcom that was originally broadcast from February 1, 1974 until August 1, 1979 on the CBS television network. ... Archie Bunkers Place Opening title screen Archie Bunkers Place was a CBS sitcom that had previously been known as All in the Family. ... Mary Tyler Moore is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 to March 19, 1977. ... Rhoda is an American situation comedy and a television spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. ... Phyllis is also the name of a U.S. TV series. ... Linda Kelsey and Edward Asner as Billie Newman and Lou Grant in MTMs Lou Grant Lou Grant was a popular and critically acclaimed television drama series starring Ed Asner as a newspaper editor. ... The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox network. ... The Tracey Ullman Show was a weekly American television variety show, hosted by comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. ... Happy Days was a popular American television sitcom that originally aired between 1974 and 1984 on the ABC television network. ... Opening theme of Love American Style Love, American Style was an hour-long television anthology which originally aired between September 1969 and January 1974. ... Laverne & Shirley was a popular American television situation comedy which ran on ABC from 1976 to 1983. ... Joanie Loves Chachi is a TV spin-off of the popular series Happy Days that was originally broadcast on ABC from March 23, 1982 to September 13, 1983. ... Mork and Mindy was a half-hour sci-fi-based situation comedy broadcast from 1978 until 1982 on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network. ... As the World Turns (ATWT) is the second longest-running American television soap opera, airing each weekday on CBS. It debuted on Monday, April 2, 1956 at 1:30 in the afternoon. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Lisa (Eileen Fulton) as featured in the opening credits, 1999. ... Eileen Fulton Eileen Fulton (born Margaret Elizabeth McLarty on September 13, 1933 in Asheville, North Carolina) is an American actress. ... M*A*S*H was an American medical drama/black comedy produced by 20th Century Fox for CBS. M*A*S*H was created by Larry Gelbart, inspired by the 1961 novel Catch 22, the 1970 film MASH, and the 1968 Richard Hooker novel of the same name. ... William Christopher (born October 20, 1932 in Evanston, Illinois) is an American actor who is most well-known for playing Father Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H and Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. After attending New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois... Jamie Farr, as Corporal Klinger Jamie Farr (born on July 1, 1934 in Toledo, Ohio), birth name Jameel Joseph Farah, is an American television and film actor of Lebanese descent. ... Harry Morgan as Colonel Sherman T. Potter Harry Morgan (born Henry Bratsburg on April 10, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American television actor of Norwegian extraction. ... AfterMASH was a situation comedy that ran for two seasons (1983-1985) on CBS. A spin-off of the long-running hit series M*A*S*H, AfterMASH took place immediately following the end of the Korean War and chronicled the adventures of three characters from the original series: Colonel... Trapper John, M.D. was a television series spinoff of the show M*A*S*H that ran on CBS from September 23, 1979 to September 4, 1986. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... Star Trek is an American science-fiction franchise spanning six unique television series and ten feature films, in addition to hundreds of novels, computer and video games, fan stories, and other works of fiction. ... Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... The starship Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid-class starship. ... The starship Enterprise (NX-01) Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ... Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynskis Babylon 5. ... Babylon 5 is an epic science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... Frasier was a critically acclaimed American TV situation comedy. ... Cheers was a long-running American situation comedy produced by Charles-Burrows-Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television for NBC. Cheers was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles. ... Law & Order is an American television police procedural and legal drama set in New York City. ... Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Season 5 DVD Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (also known as Law & Order: SVU) is the first of three spin-offs of Law & Order (the other two being Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: Trial by Jury; all series are presented on the NBC... Law & Order: Criminal Intent is a United States crime drama television series that began in 2001. ... Crime & Punishment, also known as Law & Order: Crime & Punishment, was a 2002 reality television spin-off of the Law & Order franchise. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into theatre. ... Law and Order: Trial by Jury is the third spinoff of Law & Order; it focuses on the court room process, as opposed to particular topics of crime. ... CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a popular Alliance Atlantis/CBS police procedural television series, running since October 2000, about a team of forensic scientists. ... Jerome Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1945) is an American film and television producer. ... CSI: Miami is a spinoff of the popular CBS network series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. ... CSI: NY (working title CSI: New York) is an American police procedural television series which premiered on September 22, 2004. ... This page refers to a motion picture. ... The Fugitive is a 1993 Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winning feature film, based on the television series The Fugitive, starring Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble, and Tommy Lee Jones as Deputy United States Marshal Samuel Gerard. ... Categories: Computer and video game stubs | 1993 computer and video games | Game Boy games ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Categories: Computer and video game stubs | 1993 computer and video games | Game Boy games ... Super Mario Bros. ... Donkey Kong ) is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. ... A spin-off in television is a new series which contains either characters or theme elements from an old series. ...

Related Phenomena

Remakes

Main article: Remake In film, a remake is a newer version of a previously released film or a newer version of the source (play, novel, story, etc. ...

One notable case which is not a spin-off is when the same series is later remade. Examples include Battlestar Galactica, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983, 2002), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987, 2003)). Introduction to the old Battlestar Galactica series This article encompasses all the media that use the name Battlestar Galactica. ... He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattels successful toy line Masters of the Universe. ... The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT or Ninja Turtles) are a fictional team of four anthropomorphic turtles who were trained by their sensei, Master Splinter, to become skilled ninja warriors. ...

Cross-overs

Main article: Fictional crossovers A fictional crossover occurs when otherwise separated fictional characters, stories, settings, universes, or media meet and interact with each other. ...

Sometimes even where a show is not a spin-off from the other, there will nevertheless be a cross-overs, where a character from one show makes an appearance on another show. A notable example of this are Ursula and Phoebe Buffay, twin sisters played by Lisa Kudrow who normally are on different shows, Mad About You and Friends respectively, but sometimes meet. This is also done by Ray Romano and Kevin James with Everybody Loves Raymond and King of Queens. Steve Urkel from Family Matters was also shown to be the cousin of one of D.J.'s friends on Full House. A fictional crossover occurs when otherwise separated fictional characters, stories, settings, universes, or media meet and interact with each other. ... Ursula Pamela Buffay was a fictional character from the popular television sitcoms Mad About You, which ran from 1992 to 1999, and Friends, which ran from 1994 to 2004. ... Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay in Friends Phoebe Buffay-Hannigan (previously Buffay) is a fictional character on the popular US television sitcom Friends (1994-2004), played by Lisa Kudrow. ... Lisa Marie Diane Kudrow (born July 30, 1963) is an Emmy Award-winning American actress best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom Friends. ... Mad About You was a United States sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999. ... Friends was one of the longest-running and most popular American television sitcoms of the 1990s. ... Ray Romano Raymond Romano (born December 21, 1957 in Queens, New York) is an American actor and comedian. ... Kevin James (born Kevin George Knipfing, on April 26, 1965) in Mineola, New York is an American comedian and actor. ... Everybody Loves Raymond, sometimes referred to in the abbreviated form Raymond, was a popular and long-running American sitcom that was produced from 1996 to 2005 and broadcast on CBS. The show revolved around the life of Ray Barone, a Newsday sportswriter from Lynbrook, Long Island who lives with his... The King of Queens is an American situation comedy series that debuted in 1998 and is still running as of 2005. ... Steve Urkel Steve Urkel (full character name: Steven Quincy Urkel, portrayed by Jaleel White) is a character on the 1990s sitcom Family Matters. ... Family Matters (TV series) also refers to a popular television series. ... Full House is an American television show about three men raising three young girls in their San Francisco home. ...

Sometimes crossovers are created in an attempt to provide closure to fans of another failed series. For example, Millennium's characters Frank & Jordan Black (played by Lance Henriksen and Brittany Tiplady) appeared alongside Mulder and Scully in the X-Files 1999 episode "Millennium" (episode #7.05). This allowed the fans to have some closure, as none was given when Millennium was abruptly canceled prior to the 1999 season. Millennium is a grim, suspenseful television series, produced by the creator of The X-Files and set during the run-up to the new millennium. ... X-Files intro from first 8 seasons The X-Files was a popular 1990s American science fiction television series created by Chris Carter. ...

Government

Civilian goods which are the result of military or governmental research are also known as spinoffs.

Corporate spinoffs

It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article titled Spin-off company. (Discuss)

Many times in the business world, companies "spin off" (see also spin out) their operations. If for example a small group of employees has a great new idea, but the new product doesn't fit the pipeline of their company, it is one option for the corporation to even make money out of it by founding an own, separate start-up company for this business (one step further than sole intrapreneurship so to say). This way, they can still take advantage from the profits of this idea even if it doesn't fit their core competences. Image File history File links Splitsection. ... The common definition of Spin out (or spin off) is when a division of a company or organization becomes an independent business. ... Intrapreneurship is the practice of entrepreneurial skills and approaches by or within a company. ...

The second big field of spin-offs are academic research groups at universities or around a PhD thesis where their members would like to leverage their knowledge and make money out of their findings. In this case, theoretical knowledge and research is "converted" into a company - producing for example their newly found invention/product, etc.

Another example for a corporate spin-off might be a company that produces ice cream and cars. It might split up into a company that makes cars, and a second company that makes ice cream. The current owners (the shareholders) of the company would own stock in both the company that makes cars, and the company that makes ice cream.

The primary and nearly exclusive reason why this is done is due to the phenonemon of stock valuation. People who buy stock make money in two different ways, via dividends, and via selling the stock at a higher price than when they bought it originally. The goal of all publicly traded companies then is to pay dividends and/or attempt to increase the value of their stock price. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Fundamental analysis. ...

Many academics and investors believe that the stock price of a company over the long term is most strongly influenced by the profits the company makes. However, the price people will be willing to pay for a companies stock relative to its profits (known as the PE ratio) is widely believed to differ depending on certain characteristics of the company. For example, fast growing companies are seen to be able to command a higher price relative to their current earnings, because it is felt that their profits will grow quickly enough to repay that price. Companies that have steady but small increases in profit are believed to be more valued than ones that have wild swings in profitability, because the swings in profitability can create swings in the stock price, making it more likely that the price will be temporarily down when one needs to sell the stock. In the same way, whole industries are seen to command a higher price relative to their earnings when compared with other industries. In finance, the PE ratio of a stock (also called its earnings multiple, just multiple, or P/E) is used to measure how cheap or expensive share prices are. ...

Because of these widespread beliefs about stock valuation, company managers sometimes contemplate splitting their companies if they believe that "whole is less than the sum of its parts". For example, let's say that ice cream companies are generally valued at 15 times their profits (say for example because there is a big ice cream company trend hitting the country), and car companies are valued at 10 times their profits (because the car industry is seen as a slow growing industry). There is an icecream/car conglamerate which has stock selling at 50 dollars a share, 10 times the amount of its profits of 5 dollars a share (half of its profits come from ice cream and half from cars). This company then splits into two, with its current stock holders getting a car company for 25 dollars a share, and an ice cream company for 25 dollars a share. The managers doing this hope that others will bid up the price of the ice cream company to 37.50 (15 times their profits) as is the norm for the ice cream industry. In this way, the original stock holder who had a share for 50.00's now has 2 shares which total 62.50 dollars.

See also

• Spin
• List of comics spin-offs
• List of television spin-offs

Off spin is a similar, but unrelated term. The terms spin and SPIN have several meanings, including those primarily discussed as spinning: For spin in sub-atomic physics, see spin (physics) For the stalled aircraft maneuver or any of several forms of loss of control in aircraft, see spin (flight) For the periodical, see Spin Magazine For the... A spin-off in comics is a new comic which contains either characters or theme elements from an old comic. ... A spin-off in television is a new series which contains either characters or theme elements from an old series. ... Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his fingers to spin the ball from a right-handed batsmans off side to the leg side (that is, towards the right-handed...