Universal Studios is one of the major Hollywood film studios known as the "Big Six". It started in 1912 and is now owned by Comcast through its NBCUniversal subsidiary. Universal began as one of the "Little Three" smallest studios but grew very successfully. It ensures its films are distributed through owning theaters originally, and maintained control over the film process by having actors, producers, directors and writers under contract. However, the studio system ended in the 1960s with the beginning of the end of the classic Hollywood era.