Type | Division |
---|---|
Industry | Entertainment |
Founded | 2004 |
Defunct | 2013 |
Fate | Folded into New Video |
Successor | New Video |
Headquarters | 111 Universal Hollywood Drive, Suite 400, Universal City, California 91608 , United States |
Products | Motion pictures, television programs |
Owner | Vivendi (2004–2012) Gaiam (2012–2013) Cinedigm (2013) |
Parent | Universal Music Group Distribution (2004–2012) Gaiam (2012–2013) New Video (2013) |
Website | cinedigm |
Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment (formerly known as Vivendi Entertainment, Vivendi Visual Entertainment and Visual Entertainment) was a film, television, DVD and digital distribution company that operated in the United States and Canada. It was also a distribution partner for independent content providers. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Visual Entertainment was founded in 2004 to distribute DVDs as a division of Universal Music Group Distribution, which in turn is a subsidiary of Vivendi. [5] [2] In 2006, Visual Entertainment was renamed Vivendi Visual Entertainment. [6] In 2008, Vivendi Entertainment expanded from home video into theatrical distribution. [7]
On April 3, 2012, Universal divested Vivendi Entertainment due to the buyout of EMI, and the company was acquired by Gaiam and merged with its home entertainment division, renaming the combined subsidiary Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment. [8] It was one of the three units of Universal Music, never fully owned by EMI, that were forced to be sold; other such units were Sanctuary Records and V2 Records.[ citation needed ]
On October 17, 2013, Cinedigm announced it was purchasing Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment for $51.5 million. The acquisition closed on October 21, 2013. Cinedigm merged Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment into their existing home video business, New Video. [9] [10]
The company has provided sales, marketing, and distribution services to studios such as The Weinstein Company, [11] World Wrestling Entertainment, The Jim Henson Company, Salient Media, NFL Films, Shout! Factory, GoodTimes Entertainment, ARC Entertainment LLC, Classic Media, Hallmark Channel, Indomina Releasing, Nasser Entertainment, Event Film, RHI Entertainment, Polychrome Pictures, Sid and Marty Krofft, Eagle Rock Entertainment, Blowtorch Entertainment, Mill Creek Entertainment, DHX Media, Saban Brands, Saban Entertainment, Palisades Tartan, Palm Pictures, Nelvana, Razor & Tie, Dargaud Media, Pure Flix Entertainment, Codeblack Entertainment, Melee Entertainment, Dimension Extreme and Genius Products.[ citation needed ]
The company has partnered with DHX Media by creating free episodes, "special collections", and "discounted seasons" for fans of the Inspector Gadget franchise in the US. [12]
On September 10, 2013, the company released Secret Millionaires Club: Volume 2 on DVD. [13] [ unreliable source? ][ relevant? ]
EMI Group Limited was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its acquisition by Universal Music in 2012, it was the fourth largest business group and record label conglomerate in the music industry, and was one of the "Big Four" record companies. Its labels included EMI Records, Parlophone, Virgin Records, and Capitol Records, which are now referenced under Universal Music due to their acquisition with the exception of Parlophone, as it is now owned by Warner Music.
Universal Music Group N.V. is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its operational headquarters are located in Santa Monica, California. The biggest music company in the world, it is one of the "Big Three" record labels, along with Sony Music and Warner Music Group. Tencent acquired ten percent of Universal Music Group in March 2020 for €3 billion and acquired an additional ten percent stake in January 2021. Pershing Square Holdings later acquired ten percent of UMG prior to its IPO on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange. The company went public on September 21, 2021, at a valuation of €46 billion.
Inspector Gadget is an animated superhero science fiction comedy series co-created by Andy Heyward, Jean Chalopin and Bruno Bianchi, and was originally syndicated by DIC Audiovisuel and Lexington Broadcast Services Company. The show revolves around the adventures of a clumsy, dim-witted detective named Inspector Gadget—a cyborg human with various bionic gadgets built into his body—who is sent on missions to thwart plans by his nemesis Dr. Claw, the leader of an evil organization known as "M.A.D.", while unknowingly being assisted by his niece Penny and their dog, Brain.
DIC Entertainment Corporation, branded as the Incredible World of DIC, was an international film and television production company that was mostly associated as an animation studio. As a now former division of The Walt Disney Company, DIC produced live-action feature films and licensed countless anime series.
PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a holding for their record companies, and was renamed "PolyGram" in 1972. The name was chosen to reflect the Siemens interest Polydor Records and the Philips interest Phonogram Records. The company traced its origins through Deutsche Grammophon back to the inventor of the flat disc gramophone, Emil Berliner.
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is an American global mass media and entertainment company. It was originally a Canadian company, formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is currently headquartered in Santa Monica, California. In addition to its flagship Lionsgate Films division, the company contains other divisions such as Lionsgate Television and Lionsgate Interactive. It owns a variety of subsidiaries such as Summit Entertainment, Debmar-Mercury, and Starz Inc.
20th Century Home Entertainment is a home video brand label of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment that distributes films produced by 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, and 20th Century Animation, and television series by 20th Television, Searchlight Television, 20th Television Animation, and FX Productions in home entertainment formats.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony.
Fontana Distribution was a division of San Francisco–based Isolation Network. A minority stake of the company was owned by Universal Music until Ingrooves acquired Fontana Distribution from UMG in 2012 to form Ingrooves Fontana.
Universal Music Distribution was the primary music distribution unit of parent company Universal Music Group until 2015 when the company was dismantled.
Gaia, Inc. is an American alternative media video on demand streaming service 'founded by Jirka Rysavy in 1988.
Genius Products was a home entertainment company based in Santa Monica, California, United States.
Anchor Bay Entertainment was an American home entertainment and production company owned by Starz Inc., which is a subsidiary of Lionsgate. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and released feature films, television series, television specials and short films on DVD and Blu-ray. In 2004, Anchor Bay agreed to have its releases distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and renewed their deal in 2011. In 2017, Lions Gate Entertainment folded Anchor Bay Entertainment into Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music. The company expanded into other media including advertising, podcast networking, film, television, streaming media, and management.
GT Media, Inc. was an American home video company that originated in 1984 under the name of GoodTimes Home Video. Though it produced its own titles, the company was well known due to its distribution of media from third parties and classics. The founders for the company were the brothers Kenneth, Joseph and Stanley Cayre of Salsoul Records. Its headquarters were in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company had a distribution facility in Jersey City, New Jersey and a duplication facility in Bayonne, New Jersey.
Sir Lucian Charles Grainge is the chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Music Group. Grainge has worked in the music business for his entire career. Billboard magazine named Grainge as the most powerful person in the music business on four occasions in the 2010s, and the first Executive of the Decade ever.
New Video is an American entertainment distributor and collector of independent digital content. The company works with independent producers, filmmakers and television networks to curate content for many types of distribution platforms, including digital, cable, video on demand, Blu-ray, DVD, and theatrical releases.
Cineverse Corp. is an American entertainment company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Cineverse’s businesses encompass digital cinema, streaming channels, content marketing, and distribution.