CBS Home Entertainment

Last updated
CBS Home Entertainment
FormerlyCBS Video Enterprises, Inc. (1979–1983)
CBS Video (1980–2006)
MGM/CBS Home Video (1980–1982)
CBS/Fox Video (1982–2000)
Company type Division
Industry Home entertainment
Founded1979;45 years ago (1979)
Founder Cy Leslie
Headquarters,
United States
Parent Paramount Home Entertainment
Website CBS Home Entertainment website

CBS Home Entertainment (formerly CBS Video Enterprises, Inc., MGM/CBS Home Video , CBS/Fox Video and CBS Video, currently branded as CBS DVD for DVD releases and CBS Blu-ray for Blu-ray releases) is an American home video company that distributes films and television shows produced by the CBS Entertainment Group and is a division label of Paramount Home Entertainment that releases content from the CBS library (CBS Studios, CBS Media Ventures, CBS News, and their predecessor companies) on home media.

Contents

History

CBS, Inc. established a home video arm, CBS Video Enterprises (CVE), in 1979 with Cy Leslie as chairman.

In 1980, CVE formed a joint venture with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), called MGM/CBS Home Video which licensed the film library of MGM for release on home videocassette, following the early leads of Paramount Home Video and 20th Century Fox's Magnetic Video division. In addition to the MGM film library, the company released output from CBS News, CBS Records, the CBS television network, CBS Theatrical Films, and the motion picture division of Lorimar.

By 1981, MGM/CBS had expanded from VHS and Betamax to RCA's CED system as well. Also that year, CBS Video Enterprises handled distribution of its five titles by Samuel Goldwyn Home Entertainment in conjunction with MGM/CBS. [1] In 1982, CBS withdrew from the MGM joint venture. The MGM/CBS company reorganized into MGM/UA Home Video.

A short time later, CBS purchased a stake in 20th Century Fox's home video operation, and formed CBS/Fox Video. The new company reissued many of CBS' properties issued under the CBS/Fox label, in addition to films under the 20th Century Fox banner. Two specialty labels, Key Video, and Playhouse Video, were also created.

The CBS/Fox joint venture was reorganized in 1990, with Key Video and Playhouse Video ceasing operations, and Fox Video was created to release the mainstream output of 20th Century Fox. CBS continued to issue their product and programming under the Fox Video label until 1998, and utilized the CBS/Fox label for BBC Video in the United States until these rights expired on June 30, 2000 and wasn't renewed. On June 28, 2000, BBC Worldwide Americas announced a new partnership with Warner Home Video that would begin effectively on July 1, 2000, excluding the release of Walking with Dinosaurs , which was instead transferred over from CBS/Fox to Warner on September 1, 2000. [2] In 2001, CBS/Fox Video was folded into 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (now called 20th Century Home Entertainment, part of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, since 2020).

When Viacom purchased CBS in 1999, Paramount Home Entertainment became CBS Video/DVD's distributor. Both companies were split again on January 1, 2006, but they were still controlled by National Amusements. CBS Corporation formed CBS Home Entertainment as a new home entertainment arm in 2007.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment won the right to release material from the newly formed incarnation of CBS Films beginning in 2010, under license from CBS Home Entertainment; five years later, Lionsgate Home Entertainment succeeded Sony Pictures Home Entertainment as CBS Films' home media distributor.

Most less-demanded CBS programs are either released on manufactured-on-demand DVDs by CBS itself or licensed to Visual Entertainment Inc.

CBS and Viacom re-merged on December 4, 2019, forming ViacomCBS (now Paramount Global).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Pictures</span> American film and distribution company

Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production and distribution company and the namesake subsidiary of Paramount Global. It is the sixth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest film studio in the United States, and the sole member of the "Big Five" film studios located within the city limits of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Artists</span> American film production company

United Artists (UA) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, UA was founded in 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks as a venture premised on allowing actors to control their own financial and artistic interests rather than being dependent upon commercial studios.

Orion Releasing, LLC is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major film studios</span> United States film production and distribution companies with high output

Major film studios are production and distribution companies that release a substantial number of films annually and consistently command a significant share of box office revenue in a given market. In the American and international markets, the major film studios, often known simply as the majors or the Big Five studios, are commonly regarded as the five diversified media conglomerates whose various film production and distribution subsidiaries collectively command approximately 80 to 85% of U.S. box office revenue. The term may also be applied more specifically to the primary motion picture business subsidiary of each respective conglomerate.

Dimension Films is an American independent film and television production and distribution label founded in 1992, and currently owned by independent studio Lantern Entertainment. Formally one of the American "mini-majors", Dimension Films produced and released independent films and genre titles; specifically horror and science fiction films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eon Productions</span> British film production company known for producing the James Bond film series

Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the James Bond film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment</span> Home video distribution arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. is the American home video distribution division of Warner Bros. Discovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20th Century Home Entertainment</span> American defunct home video distributor

20th Century Home Entertainment was a home video distribution arm that distributed films produced by 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, and 20th Century Animation and several third-party studios, as well as television series by 20th Television, Searchlight Television, 20th Television Animation, and FX Productions in home entertainment formats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Pictures Home Entertainment</span> Home video distribution division of Sony Pictures

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGM Home Entertainment</span> Home video distribution arm of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

MGM Home Entertainment LLC is the home video distribution arm of the American media company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). It is owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon.

United International Pictures (UIP) is a joint venture of Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures that distributes their films outside the United States and Canada. UIP also had international distribution rights to certain Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and United Artists (UA) films when MGM was part of the venture and also distributed Disney films in certain territories until 1987. In 2001, MGM left UIP, and signed a distribution deal with 20th Century Fox's overseas arm. The company formerly distributed DreamWorks Pictures releases internationally as well until late 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment</span> Walt Disney Company subsidiary

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. is the home entertainment distribution arm of the Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, and other audiovisual content across digital formats and platforms.

Samuel Goldwyn Productions was an American film production company founded by Samuel Goldwyn in 1923, and active through 1959. Personally controlled by Goldwyn and focused on production rather than distribution, the company developed into the most financially and critically successful independent production company in Hollywood's Golden Age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Pictures Home Entertainment</span> Home video distribution division of Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment LLC is the home video distribution division of Universal Pictures, an American film studio, owned by NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast.

Spelling Television Inc. was an American television production company that went through several name changes. It was originally called Aaron Spelling Productions, then Spelling Entertainment Inc. and eventually part of Spelling Entertainment Group. The company produced popular shows such as The Love Boat, Dynasty, Beverly Hills, 90210, 7th Heaven, Melrose Place and Charmed. The company was founded by television producer Aaron Spelling on October 25, 1965. The company is currently an in-name-only unit of CBS Studios. A related company, Spelling-Goldberg Productions, co-existed during a portion of the same time period and produced other well-known shows such as Family, Charlie's Angels, Starsky & Hutch, and Fantasy Island but these series are not part of the modern day library now owned by Paramount Global. Another related company, The Douglas S. Cramer Company co-existed during a portion of the same time period, produced shows like Wonder Woman, Joe and Sons, and Bridget Loves Bernie and television films like Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema International Corporation</span> Defunct global distributor of American films

Cinema International Corporation (CIC) was a film distribution company started by Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures in the early 1970s to distribute the two studios' films outside the United States – it even operated in Canada before it was considered part of the "domestic" market. During the 1970s, CIC was the "most important agent of overseas distribution" for American films. In 1981, CIC merged with United Artists' international units and became United International Pictures. The formation of CIC, and the profit-sharing arrangement that made it work, has been described as the product of "revolutionary thinking".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGM+</span> American pay television network

MGM+, is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the MGMPlus Entertainment subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which is itself a subsidiary of Amazon MGM Studios. The network's programming consists of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, original television series, documentaries, and music and comedy specials.

References

  1. "Goldwyn Indie Video Label" (PDF). Billboard . 1981-06-06. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  2. "BBC Worldwide Americas And Warner Home Video Announce Distribution Deal" (Press release). Burbank, CA and New York, NY: BBC Worldwide Americas and Warner Home Video. 28 Jun 2000.