The Muppets film, "Muppets from Space", released by Columbia Pictures in 1999. In 2000, Henson was sold to EM.TV & Merchandising AG for $680 million. However, EM.TV was plagued with financial problems and the Henson family re-acquired the company in 2003, with the exception of the rights to the "Sesame Street" characters, which had been sold by EM.TV to Sesame Workshop. Fourteen years after initial negotiations began, Disney acquired the Muppets intellectual property from the Jim Henson Company for $75 million on February 17, 2004. The acquisition consisted of the Muppets and "Bear in the Big Blue House" properties, as well as
The Muppets and release a series of comedy shorts on YouTube. After the Muppets' cover version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" was posted on the Muppet Studio's YouTube channel, it ultimately amassed 50 million views and won two Webby Awards. Videos are posted on the site regularly. In 2010, the Muppets starred in "The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora", which co-starred Cat Cora and showcased cooking demonstrations. A television special, "", premiered on NBC on December 17, 2008; and was released on DVD on September 29, 2009. In 2010, Disney used the Muppets to promote their volunteerism program at the company's theme parks. A