- CBS/Fox Video
CBS/Fox Video was a
home video company formed and established in1982 . The company was a merger between20th Century Fox Video, formerlyMagnetic Video Corporation, andCBS Video Enterprises .The company was based in
Farmington Hills, Michigan until1985 , when it moved toLivonia, Michigan . In1989 , it moved its headquarters toNew York City , where it stayed until it became Fox Video (now Known as20th Century Fox Home Entertainment ) in1991 .History
Video Rental Library
Before CBS/Fox Video existed, 20th Century Fox Video released a select few titles for rental only, including "", "Rocky", and "Dr. No". While sale tapes were in big boxes that were later used by CBS/Fox in its early years, Video Rental Library tapes were packaged in black clamshell cases.
Film libraries released
CBS/Fox released the film library of 20th Century Fox, in addition to the film libraries of
United Artists , ABC Pictures,Associated Film Distributors , some earlyTri-Star Pictures films like "The Muppets Take Manhattan ", "The Legend of Billie Jean ", and "Short Circuit " (at the time, TriStar was ajoint venture between CBS,Columbia Pictures , andHBO ), CBS Theatrical Films (many of the titles had been previously issued through CBS Video's partnership withMGM ), TV shows owned by CBS, and in1984 , CBS/Fox became the American licensee ofBBC Video products. The United Artists films consisted mainly of pre-MGM merger titles, films from theJames Bond andRocky series, and some low profile post-merger films under license from UA's parent company,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . These UA films were later issued throughMGM/UA Home Video starting in 1990 (Though Fox would later release the post-1986 MGM library years later).peciality labels
CBS/Fox used speciality labels for children's videos, music videos, and sports videos. In addition to its main CBS/FOX label, CBS/Fox maintained two other labels, Key Video (mostly
B anddrive-in fare, and someTV movies , including 1976'sHelter Skelter ) and Playhouse Video (children's films and programs, includingPlanet of the Apes ' andShirley Temple 's films, andMuppet videos). These became inactive by1991 , though 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment reactivated the Key Video label as Key DVD.1990 reorganization
In
1990 , a reorganization of the company was made, with most mainstream Fox titles being turned over to the new Fox Video that appeared in1991 . However, CBS/Fox remained active for distribution of BBC Video product and other non-Fox products.The end of CBS/Fox Video
In
1998 ,Fox Entertainment Group (owned byNews Corporation ) acquired CBS/Fox Video and the rest of CBS/Fox's non-shopping (film and TV) assets, and renamed CBS/Fox Video to20th Century Fox Home Entertainment .The company ceased full operations in
1998 , with the release of "Our Friend, Martin ". A short time later, CBS' merger withViacom was finalized, and the CBS/Fox partnership ceased existence.Reissues under different labels
Many CBS/Fox titles are out of print, or have been reissued under different labels:
*20th Century Fox : 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
*MGM/UA Entertainment Co.: MGM/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
*CBS Theatrical Films and CBS' TV shows:CBS Home Entertainment /Paramount Home Entertainment
*TriStar Pictures :Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
*BBC Video :Warner Home Video
*ABC Pictures:Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (formerly Buena Vista Home Entertainment)
*Associated Film Distributors: Various distributors
*ITC Entertainment :Artisan Entertainment , laterLions Gate Entertainment External links
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