Paramount Home Entertainment

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Paramount Home Entertainment
FormerlyParamount Home Video (1976–1999)
Paramount Home Media Distribution (2011–2019)
TypeDivision
IndustryHome media
PredecessorsCIC Video
DreamWorks Home Entertainment
Founded1976; 45 years ago (1976)
Headquarters
Hollywood, California
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Bob Buchi (President)
ProductsHome video releases
ServicesHome video
Digital distribution
ParentParamount Pictures
(ViacomCBS)
WebsiteParamountMovies.com
Footnotes / references
[1]

Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, and originally Paramount Home Video) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures, a division of ViacomCBS.

The division oversees PPC’s home entertainment and transactional digital distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Players, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television Studios, CBS, Showtime, MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, BET, Comedy Central, Paramount+, and applicable licensing and servicing of certain pre-2010 DreamWorks Pictures, Miramax, pre-2005 Dimension Films titles, and DreamWorks Animation films from 2006 to 2012, as well as select IFC Films titles and Saban Films titles. PHE additionally manages global licensing of studio content and transactional distribution across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies.[2]

History[]

When the video distribution unit was formed, Paramount released its video library through Fotomat.[3] The relationship ended and Paramount soon formed its own video arm in 1980.

In the United Kingdom and other countries, the Paramount Pictures film library were released on VHS by CIC Video alongside Universal Pictures until 1999 before CIC was renamed to Paramount Home Entertainment UK and PolyGram Video was renamed to Universal Pictures Home Entertainment UK.

From 2004 to 2011, PHE distributed PBS and PBS Kids programs on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray, taking over from Warner Home Video.

In 2008, PHE launched a direct-to-video label, Paramount Famous Productions (with the "Famous" part of the name a throwback to the days when the company was called Famous Players).

In 2011, due to a company restructure, PHE was renamed Paramount Home Media Distribution.[4]

In October 2012, it was announced that PHMD and Warner Home Video had signed a distribution deal, allowing Warner to gain U.S. and Canadian DVD, Blu-ray, UltraViolet, Flixster, and DVD-manufacturing-on-demand distribution rights to over 600 Paramount titles. The deal came into effect as of January 1, 2013.[5] The deal, however, has expired in January 2017 as evidenced by PHMD titles no longer appearing on Warner Home Video's web store. Distribution of the titles included in the Warner deal have since reverted to PHMD.

In February 2015, PHMD signed a distribution agreement with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, whereby the latter will distribute the former's titles overseas, particularly the territories where PHMD holds an office. The deal began on July 1, 2015, in the United Kingdom and ended in January 2021 when the UK distributor changed to Elevation Sales.[6]

On May 27, 2015, IFC Films struck another home video distribution deal with PHMD.[7]

In June 2016, PHMD started releasing Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, starting with the first two installments of the Star Trek reboot trilogy.

In May 2019, PHMD reverted its name back to Paramount Home Entertainment, which is the name they carried from 1999 to 2011.[8]

After ViacomCBS purchased a 49% stake in Miramax on 3 April 2020, PHE acquired distribution rights to the entire Miramax library, as well as the pre-2005 Dimension Films library.

In July 2020, PHE signed a new UK home entertainment distribution deal with Elevation Sales (joint-venture between StudioCanal UK and Lionsgate UK), as well as signing other home entertainment distribution deals with Koch Media for Italy, Divisa Home Video for Spain, and Dutch FilmWorks for Benelux, all starting in January 2021.[9]

In July 2021, PHE signed a deal with SF Studios, allowing them to distribute their content in the Scandinavian market.

HD DVD and Blu-ray support[]

Paramount brands the majority of its HD content under the label 'Paramount High Definition' which is seen both on the title box cover and as an in-movie opening. Films from Paramount subsidiaries such as Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films as well as from former sister studio DreamWorks use no special branding, Paramount Vantage (another subsidiary) releases only select titles under the Paramount High Definition banner.

In October 2005, Paramount announced that it would be supporting the HD video format Blu-ray in addition to rival format HD DVD, becoming the first studio to release on both formats.[10] Its first four HD DVD releases came in July 2006,[11] and it released four titles on Blu-ray two months later.[12] In August 2007, Paramount (along with DreamWorks and DreamWorks Animation) announced their exclusive support for HD DVD.[13] However, when other studios eventually dropped HD DVD and players for the technology stopped being manufactured, Paramount switched to Blu-ray. In May 2008, it released three titles on Blu-ray and continues to release its high-definition discs in that format exclusively.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ Arnold, Thomas K. (May 6, 2019). "Home Entertainment Divisions Change Names". Media Play News. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  2. ^ "Cinnabon & Paramount Home Media are Treating Fans to Ultimate Valentine's Night In" (Press release). Cinnabon. February 6, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  3. ^ "Fotomat in Deal with Paramount". The New York Times. April 5, 1979.
  4. ^ "Paramount links distribution arms". Variety. September 27, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  5. ^ "Warner Bros & Paramount Announce Home Media Distribution Deal". Deadline. October 4, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  6. ^ Lieberman, David (February 12, 2015). "Universal To Distribute Paramount's DVD & Blu-ray Discs Abroad". Deadline. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  7. ^ Kit, Broys (May 27, 2015). "IFC Films Strikes Distribution Deal with Paramount Home Media Distribution". The Hollywood Reporter.
  8. ^ Arnold, Thomas K. (May 6, 2019). "Home Entertainment Divisions Change Names". Media Play News. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  9. ^ "Paramount signs home entertainment deal with UK's Elevation".
  10. ^ Rojas, Peter (October 3, 2005). "Paramount says yes to both Blu-ray and HD DVD – Engadget". Engadget. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  11. ^ "Historical HD DVD Release Dates". High Def Digest. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  12. ^ "Historical Blu-ray Release Dates". High Def Digest. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  13. ^ Barnes, Brooks (August 21, 2007). "Two Studios to Support HD DVD Over Rival". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  14. ^ Drawbaugh, Ben (May 19, 2008). "Blu-ray releases on May 20th, 2008". Engadget. Archived from the original on July 31, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2020.

External links[]

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