Starz Distribution

Last updated

Starz Distribution
Formerly
  • IDT Entertainment (2003–2006)
  • Starz Media (2007–2013)
Company type Subsidiary
Industry
Founded2003;21 years ago (2003) (as IDT Entertainment)
Defunct2016;8 years ago (2016)
FateFolded into Lionsgate Television (TV arm) and Lionsgate Home Entertainment (home entertainment arm)
Headquarters Burbank, California, U.S.
Key people
Jeffrey Hirsch (CEO)
Parent IDT Corporation (2003–2006)
Starz Inc. (2006–2016)
Divisions
  • Starz Digital
  • Starz Media Sales
Starz Media's former headquarters office in Burbank 2950hollywoodway.JPG
Starz Media's former headquarters office in Burbank

Starz Distribution, formerly IDT Entertainment from 2003 to 2006 and Starz Media from 2006 to 2013, was an American television production, distribution, and syndication company and the distribution arm of Starz Inc., a subsidiary of Lionsgate, established in 2003. It developed, produced and acquired original programming content branded as Starz Originals, feature films and other audiovisual programming for distribution across television, home video and streaming media. [1]

Contents

History

In November 2003, IDT Corporation, a telecommunications company based in New Jersey, formed an audiovisual entertainment division known as IDT Entertainment following Digital Production Solutions (DPS)' acquisition of a controlling interest in animation studio Film Roman in May and a minor interest in Vanguard Animation in July. [2] Later on in the year, it acquired Troy, Michigan-based home video distributor Anchor Bay Entertainment, and stakes in Mainframe Entertainment and Archie Comics (in January 2004) and in March 2004, IDT's DPS also acquired Toronto-based DKP Studios for an undisclosed price and turned it into their own animation studio. [3] [4]

In May 2004, IDT Entertainment announced that it would acquire Manga Entertainment and a minority share in POW! Entertainment with exclusive distribution rights to POW's animated DVD properties and joint development of 6 cartoon films. [5] [6] [7] In June 2004, IDT Entertainment founded its international sales division, IDT Entertainment Sales (later renamed as Starz Worldwide). [8] In 2005, IDT signed a distribution deal with 20th Century Fox to release IDT's animated films in North America over a two-year pact; starting with Yankee Irving . [9] On May 16, 2006, IDT agreed to sell its IDT Entertainment division to Liberty Media (owners of the Starz Entertainment Group) "for all of Liberty Media's interests in IDT, $186 million in cash and the assumption of existing indebtedness." [10] On August 31, 2006, the sale of all of IDT Entertainment's US operations and several international operations was completed. "The remainder of the deal, to include the Canadian and Australian operations, is expected to be closed in the next few weeks after regulatory approval has been given." [11] This sale was completed on September 29, 2006. [12] Liberty then merged IDT Entertainment and its divisions with the Starz cable network to form Starz Media.

On January 4, 2011, The Weinstein Company purchased a 25% stake in the operating unit. While not including TV rights, the deal spans Blu-ray, DVD and VOD, pay-per-view and digital distribution and covers up to 20 TWC and Dimension titles per year. They include The King's Speech , Blue Valentine and Company Men. [13] Starz acquired the 25% stake owned by Weinstein in October 2015. [14]

On January 11, 2013, Liberty Media Corporation completed the "spin-off" of its Starz Entertainment segment as a separate entity. Under this new structure, the entity that was known as "Starz Media" became Starz Distribution. [15]

In November 2015, Waterman Entertainment purchased Film Roman from Starz Distribution. [16]

On December 8, 2016, Lionsgate purchased Starz Inc. for $4.4 billion. [17] As part of the acquisition by Lionsgate, Starz Distribution was folded into Lionsgate's respective home entertainment and television distribution units. [18]

Former assets

Starz Distribution previously held minority stakes in:

Live-action films

Animated films

Starz Distribution/IDT Entertainment have been in charge of the animation production or distribution of the following films:

Theatrical

TV specials

Direct-to-Video

Related Research Articles

Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. Today, it is owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manga Entertainment</span> US anime distributor

Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1987, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyroll Ltd. since 2022, while its U.S. branch was absorbed into Starz Inc..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty Media</span> American mass media company

Liberty Media Corporation is an American mass media company founded by John C. Malone in 1991. The company has three divisions, reflecting its ownership stakes in the Formula One Group, Sirius XM, and Live Nation Entertainment. The Sirius XM Holdings segment operates two audio entertainment companies, Sirius XM and Pandora. Sirius XM offers channels and information and entertainment services. Pandora is a streaming platform for searching for music and podcasts. As of 2024, Liberty Media is set to own three global motorsport businesses in the form of Formula One, Grand Prix motorcycle racing and World Superbikes.

Mainframe Studios is a Canadian animation studio owned by Wow Unlimited Media and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1993 as Mainframe Entertainment Inc. by Christopher Brough, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell, Gavin Blair and John Grace, the company established itself as a leading contributor to the introduction of computer-generated imagery (CGI) live action in animation, film and television.

Dimension Films was 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.

Starz Entertainment Corp. is a Canadian-American entertainment company currently headquartered in Santa Monica, California. It was founded by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, and domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, being incorporated there.

Starz is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of Starz Encore, programming on Starz consists of theatrically released motion pictures and first-run original television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film Roman</span> American animation studio

Film Roman, LLC, is an American animation studio currently based in Woodland Hills, California and formerly in Burbank. It was previously owned by Starz Inc., which is now a division of Lionsgate, and currently by Waterman Entertainment, the production company of producer Steve Waterman.

MoviePlex, stylized as movieplex since 2006, is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the Starz Inc. subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment and headquartered at the Meridian International Business Center complex in Meridian, Colorado. Launched on 1 January 1997 as Plex: Encore 1, its programming consists of recent, as well as older theatrically released motion pictures. It is the sister channel of Starz and Starz Encore.

<i>Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!</i> American animated television series

Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is an American animated children's educational television series created by Bob Boyle for Nickelodeon. The series was produced by Bolder Media and Starz Media in association with Film Roman, and it was animated by Bardel Entertainment using Toon Boom and Adobe Flash software. Bob Boyle, Susan Miller, and Fred Seibert served as executive producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin VanHook</span> American film director (born 1965)

Kevin VanHook is an American comic book writer, comic book artist, visual effects supervisor, and filmmaker.

Vanguard Films & Animation, often named only as Vanguard Animation, is an American production studio founded in 2002 by producer John H. Williams and Neil Braun. The studio has offices in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Ealing Studios in London, England, United Kingdom. Starz Distribution owns a minority stake in the studio.

Lionsgate Films is a Canadian-American film production and distribution studio founded in Canada in 1962. It is now a division of Lionsgate Studios and headquartered in Santa Monica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anchor Bay Entertainment</span> American home entertainment and production company

The revived Anchor Bay Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company owned by Umbrelic Entertainment co-founders Thomas Zambeck and Brian Katz. Anchor Bay Entertainment markets and releases "new release genre films, undiscovered treasures, cult classics, and remastered catalog releases".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John W. Hyde</span> American film producer

John W. Hyde is a veteran producer whose credits span feature film, television, and animation. Hyde is married to Kate Morris Hyde and lives in both Los Angeles and Badger, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jam Filled Entertainment</span> Canadian animation studio

Jam Filled Entertainment is a Canadian animation studio based in Ottawa, Ontario, and a division of Boat Rocker Media. The company is best known for animating Thomas & Friends and Nicktoons.

Starz Inc. is an American entertainment company and a subsidiary of Starz Entertainment. It is headquartered at Meridian, Colorado, and uses nearby Englewood as its location in corporate filings and press releases.

Lionsgate Studios Corp., simply known as Lionsgate Studios, is a Canadian-American film and television production and distribution conglomerate owned by Starz Entertainment, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, and primarily based in Santa Monica, California. It was formed on May 14, 2024, after Lionsgate spun off its film and television businesses.

References

  1. ↑ "Starz (STRZA.O)". Reuters. Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  2. ↑ "IDT Pulls Holdngs Under IDT Ent. Umbrella". Animation World Network (Press release). November 11, 2003. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  3. ↑ "IDT Entertainment Completes Acquisition of Anchor Bay Entertainment". IDT Corporation. December 11, 2003. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  4. ↑ "IDT Entertainment Acquires DKP Effects Digital Production Facility". IDT Corporation. March 16, 2004. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Manga fruit of IDT spree". Variety. May 13, 2004. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  6. ↑ "IDT Acquiring Anime Giant Manga Ent". Animation World Network. May 13, 2004. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  7. ↑ Graser, Marc (May 7, 2004). "IDT joins Lee in POW! to distrib toon DVDs". Daily Variety. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  8. ↑ "IDT Entertainment Announces Formation of IDT Entertainment Sales" (Press release). IDT Corporation. June 17, 2004. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  9. ↑ Fritz, Ben; Brodesser, Claude (June 8, 2005). "IDT animated over 20th". Variety. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  10. ↑ "IDT Corporation – Press Releases". Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  11. ↑ UK Film and Television News – Liberty Completes First Stage of IDT Acquisition
  12. ↑ "Liberty Completes Final Stage of IDT Entertainment Acquisition". IDT Corporation. Archived from the original on October 5, 2006. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Weinstein Company Acquires 25 Percent Stake in Starz Media". The Hollywood Reporter. January 4, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Starz - Annual Report". February 22, 2016. Archived from the original on February 29, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Liberty Media Corporation and Starz Announce Completion of Spin-Off". Reuters. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  16. ↑ McNary, Dave (November 12, 2015). "'Simpsons' Animator Film Roman Bought by Waterman Entertainment". Variety . Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  17. ↑ Lieberman, David (December 8, 2016). "Lionsgate Closes Deal To Buy Starz". Deadline. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  18. ↑ Aycock, Jason (October 28, 2016). "Filing: Starz CFO to leave as Lions Gate merger wraps". Seeking Alpha. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.