Echo Bridge Home Entertainment

Last updated
Echo Bridge Entertainment
Company typeVideo, digital, television distribution
Predecessor Alliance Atlantis (television distribution assets)
Founded1995;29 years ago (1995) (as Platinum Disc Corporation)
2005;19 years ago (2005) (as Echo Bridge Home Entertainment)
Defunct2021
FateClosed
SuccessorSP Distribution
WildBrain
Headquarters
La Crosse, Wisconsin (home entertainment)
White Plains, New York (international sales)
Needham, Massachusetts (headquarters)
Beverly Hills, California (acquisitions)
Area served
International
Key people
Michael Rosenblatt, CEO; Nathan Hart, President (home entertainment); Emilia Nuccio, President (international)
Parent Steven Paul
Subsidiaries Alliance Atlantis International Distribution
PM Entertainment
Website www.echobridgeentertainment.com   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
The evolution of WildBrain
WildBrain logo.svg
1968 FilmFair London is founded
1971DIC Audiovisuel is founded
1972 Strawberry Shortcake brand is first developed
1974 CPLG is founded
1976CINAR and Colossal Pictures are founded
1982DIC Enterprises is founded
1984 Ragdoll Productions is founded
1987DIC Audiovisuel closes
1988 Studio B Productions is founded
1992 Epitome Pictures is founded
1993DIC Enterprises becomes DIC Entertainment
1994 Wild Brain is founded‚ and Red Rover Studios is founded, DIC Entertainment brands as The Incredible World of DIC
1995Platinum Disc Corporation is founded
1996CINAR buys FilmFair's library
1997 Decode Entertainment is founded
1999Wild Brain acquires Colossal Pictures' employee base
2002 Nerd Corps Entertainment is founded
2004Halifax Film Company is founded, CINAR rebrands as Cookie Jar Group
2005Platinum Disc Corporation merge as Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
2006Decode and Halifax Film merge as DHX Media, DIC acquires CPLG, and Ragdoll Worldwide is formed with BBC Worldwide
2007DHX Media buys Studio B Productions and Wild Brain becomes Wildbrain Entertainment
2008Cookie Jar Group absorbs DIC and House of Cool absorbs Red Rover Studios
2010DHX Media buys Wildbrain Entertainment‚ and Peanuts Worldwide is founded
2011Decode Entertainment and Red Rover Studios closes
2012DHX Media buys Cookie Jar Group
2013DHX Media buys Ragdoll Worldwide
2014DHX Media buys Epitome Pictures, Nerd Corps, and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment's family content library; Cookie Jar Group is absorbed
2016The WildBrain multi-channel network launches and Studio B and Nerd Corps merge as DHX Studios
2017Wildbrain Entertainment closes; DHX Media buys Peanuts Worldwide and Strawberry Shortcake
2018Halifax Film becomes Island of Misfits
2019DHX Media rebrands as WildBrain, Epitome Pictures closes, and the WildBrain MCN becomes WildBrain Spark
2020CPLG becomes WildBrain CPLG
2021Echo Bridge Home Entertainment closes
2023WildBrain acquires House of Cool
2024WildBrain Spark merged into its parent company as WildBrain London

Echo Bridge Entertainment was an American independent distribution company. It acquired and distributed feature films, scripted and non-scripted series, documentaries, and children's programming for home video, digital and television in the United States and throughout the world. Since its acquisition of Alliance Atlantis International Distribution and recent distribution partnerships with Miramax [1] and ABC Disney/Buena Vista, Echo Bridge Entertainment had a combined portfolio of over 11,000 titles, including Degrassi: The Next Generation (a co-production with DHX Media's Epitome Pictures), until DHX Media acquired the family library in November 2014.

Contents

History

Echo Bridge Home Entertainment, a division of Echo Bridge Entertainment, was founded in 1995 as Platinum Disc Corporation, initially distributed DVDs of low-budget and public domain films. It was named and had its logo inspired from the real Echo Bridge in Massachusetts. In February 2004, Echo Bridge Entertainment was founded at the American Film Market, with the acquisition of the libraries of CineTel Films and PM Entertainment. [2] [3] In September 2004, Echo Bridge announced that it would acquire the Green Communications library. [4] In July 2005, Platinum Disc Corporation and Echo Bridge Entertainment merged to form Echo Bridge Home Entertainment. [5] In April 2008, Echo Bridge acquired the international operations, including television distribution rights to Alliance Atlantis library from Goldman Sachs, with the exception of the CSI franchise, which CBS Paramount International Television hold the rights. [6] In 2011, Echo Bridge Entertainment and Miramax made a distribution deal in which Echo Bridge would release 251 films from the Miramax catalog, with the other 550 going to Lionsgate and StudioCanal as Miramax had a similar distribution deal with them. [7] [8] On March 17, 2014, after Echo Bridge lost the distribution rights to the Miramax titles, the Miramax releases all went out of print and any mention of them was removed from their website. Lionsgate later expanded their deal with Miramax to include the 251 films previously released by Echo Bridge until 2020, when Paramount Home Entertainment (which parent company acquired a 49% stake of Miramax in 2019) extended their own deal with Miramax to include those 251 films. In 2014, Echo Bridge sold its family library to DHX Media (now known as WildBrain). [9]

In January 2017, filmmaker and producer Steven Paul purchased the non-family assets of Echo Bridge, which in turn renamed as Echo Bridge Acquisition Corp, later becoming dormant and then folded into SP Distribution in 2021, with the distribution rights to the Echo Bridge/PM/Alliance Atlantis library in turn acquired by the New York City-based distributor and streaming service FilmRise for digital distribution. [10]

Filmography

See also

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References

  1. "Echo Bridge And Miramax Enter Into Distribution Partnership". Miramax. February 17, 2011. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  2. "AFM set to her an echo". Variety . February 11, 2004. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  3. "Echo Bridge to launch at AFM, armed with PM library and 94 CineTel titles". Screen Daily . February 12, 2004. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  4. "Echo Bridge buys Green Communications library". Screen Daily . September 29, 2004. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  5. "Echo Bridge Entertainment Merges With Leading Home Entertainment Distributor, Platinum Disc Corporation". Echo Bridge Entertainment. July 5, 2005. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  6. "Echo Bridge to acquire Alliance Atlantis International Distribution". April 7, 2008. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  7. "Miramax, Echo Bridge team for DVD distrib". Variety. February 17, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  8. "Echo Bridge takes on Miramax DVD titles". Deadline Hollywood . February 17, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  9. DHX Media acquires library of children's and family TV content
  10. "Producer Steven Paul Buys Distributor Echo Bridge".