CBS Video Enterprises
Encyclopedia
CBS Home Entertainment (formerly CBS Video, currently branded as CBS DVD for DVD releases and CBS Blu-ray for Blu-ray releases) is the home entertainment arm of CBS Corporation
.
, Inc. owned a home video arm, CBS Video Enterprises (CVE), established in 1975.
In 1980, CVE formed a joint venture with MGM, MGM/CBS Home Video licensed the film library of MGM for release on home videocassette, following the early leads of Paramount Home Video, 20th Century Fox's Magnetic Video division and Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment (now Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
).
In addition to the MGM film library, the company released output from CBS News
, CBS Records
, the CBS television network, CBS Theatrical Films
, and the motion picture division of Lorimar.
By 1981, MGM/CBS had expanded from VHS and Betamax
to RCA
's CED system as well. In 1982, CBS withdrew from the MGM joint venture. The MGM/CBS company reorganized into MGM/UA Home Video.
A short time later, CBS purchased a stake in 20th Century Fox
's home video operation, and formed CBS/FOX Video
. The new company reissued many of CBS' properties issued under the CBS/FOX label, in addition to films under the 20th Century Fox banner. Two specialty labels, Key Video, and Playhouse Video, were also created.
The CBS/FOX joint venture was reorganized in 1990, with Key Video and Playhouse Video ceasing operations, and Fox Video was created to release the mainstream output of 20th Century Fox. CBS continued to issue their product and programming under the Fox Video label until 1998, and utilized the CBS/FOX label for BBC Video programs until 1999.
In 1998, CBS/FOX ceased existence as a company, shutting the Fox partnership down, mainly because of CBS' merger talks with Viacom
, which itself was once owned by CBS and now owned by National Amusements
. FOX's distribution arm is now 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
.
. On September 26, 2006, CBS Home Entertainment was joined with CBS Paramount Domestic Television
, CBS Paramount International Television
, and King World to form CBS Television Distribution
.
This includes:
CBS Corporation formed CBS Home Entertainment as a new home entertainment arm in 2007. However, Paramount continues to distribute a majority of CBS DVDs as of 2010. There are some exceptions. For example, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
won the right to release material from the newly formed incarnation of CBS Films
beginning in 2010, under license from CBS Home Entertainment. Image Entertainment
holds the video license for the original Twilight Zone
series. Many Viacom
-produced miniseries (such as the 1981 remake of East of Eden) which are now owned by CBS, as well as material from CBS News
, have been issued through different video labels (though some more recent CBS News productions have been issued on DVD by CBS/Paramount).
, My Three Sons
, and Nash Bridges
. Many episodes of The Odd Couple have appeared in edited form on CBS DVD releases (Seasons 2-5) even going as far as starting episodes in the middle of a scene just to avoid securing music rights.
On the other hand, such series as Star Trek
and Bonanza
have been issued on CBS DVD uncut in their original telecast versions, complete with all the original music as broadcast.
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on commercial broadcasting, publishing, billboards and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's...
.
CBS Video Enterprises
CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Inc. owned a home video arm, CBS Video Enterprises (CVE), established in 1975.
In 1980, CVE formed a joint venture with MGM, MGM/CBS Home Video licensed the film library of MGM for release on home videocassette, following the early leads of Paramount Home Video, 20th Century Fox's Magnetic Video division and Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment (now Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
).
In addition to the MGM film library, the company released output from CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, CBS Records
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
, the CBS television network, CBS Theatrical Films
CBS Theatrical Films
CBS Theatrical Films was the film production branch of the U.S. television network, CBS, in the 1980s. CBS began its theatrical films operation in 1979, headed by Donald March, and turned the operation into the separate CBS Theatrical Films division in 1980. The company was active from 1979 to...
, and the motion picture division of Lorimar.
By 1981, MGM/CBS had expanded from VHS and Betamax
Betamax
Betamax was a consumer-level analog videocassette magnetic tape recording format developed by Sony, released on May 10, 1975. The cassettes contain -wide videotape in a design similar to the earlier, professional wide, U-matic format...
to RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
's CED system as well. In 1982, CBS withdrew from the MGM joint venture. The MGM/CBS company reorganized into MGM/UA Home Video.
A short time later, CBS purchased a stake in 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
's home video operation, and formed CBS/FOX Video
CBS/Fox Video
CBS/Fox Video was a home video company formed and established in 1982, as a merger between 20th Century Fox Video, formerly Magnetic Video Corporation, and CBS Video Enterprises....
. The new company reissued many of CBS' properties issued under the CBS/FOX label, in addition to films under the 20th Century Fox banner. Two specialty labels, Key Video, and Playhouse Video, were also created.
The CBS/FOX joint venture was reorganized in 1990, with Key Video and Playhouse Video ceasing operations, and Fox Video was created to release the mainstream output of 20th Century Fox. CBS continued to issue their product and programming under the Fox Video label until 1998, and utilized the CBS/FOX label for BBC Video programs until 1999.
In 1998, CBS/FOX ceased existence as a company, shutting the Fox partnership down, mainly because of CBS' merger talks with Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
, which itself was once owned by CBS and now owned by National Amusements
National Amusements
National Amusements, Inc. is a privately owned theatre company based in Dedham, Massachusetts, USA. The company was founded in 1936 as the Northeast Theatre Corporation by Michael Redstone....
. FOX's distribution arm is now 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of the 20th Century Fox film studio. It was established in 1976 as Magnetic Video Corporation, and later as 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video and FoxVideo, Inc....
.
The new division
The CBS/Viacom merger was completed in 1999, but then were split again at the end of 2005. However, both companies are still controlled by National Amusements. As such, distribution for all releases by CBS DVD (the new branding for CBS Video) is handled by Paramount Home EntertainmentParamount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
. On September 26, 2006, CBS Home Entertainment was joined with CBS Paramount Domestic Television
CBS Paramount Domestic Television
CBS Paramount Domestic Television was an American television distribution company/production that was formed on January 17, 2006 and owned by CBS Corporation...
, CBS Paramount International Television
CBS Paramount International Television
CBS Studios International is a leading supplier of programming to the international television marketplace, licensing to over 200 markets and more than 30 languages across multiple media platforms...
, and King World to form CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
.
This includes:
- Programs owned by CBS Studios, with certain exceptions such as:
- Until 2001, CBS owned the rights to several Dr. SeussDr. SeussTheodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
animated specials produced by the network in association with DePatie-Freleng EnterprisesDePatie-Freleng EnterprisesDePatie-Freleng Enterprises was a Hollywood-based animation production company, active from 1963 to 1981. They produced theatrical cartoons, animated series, commercials, title sequences and television specials. Notable among these is The Pink Panther film titles and cartoon shorts and the Dr....
. The last video releases made by CBS were in 2000, with distribution by Paramount. CBS sold the rights to the specials to Universal StudiosUniversal StudiosUniversal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
(which has a theme park license for the Dr. Seuss universe, and which also made several feature-length film versions of Seuss stories) in 2001. Universal (ironically now a sister companyNBC UniversalNBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
to CBS rival NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
) has released the specials on VHS and DVD in the following years. - Until 2004, CBS owned the rights to the animated GarfieldGarfieldGarfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield ; his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie...
cartoon specials and the show Garfield and FriendsGarfield and FriendsGarfield and Friends is an American animated television series based on the comic strip Garfield by Jim Davis. The show was produced by Film Roman, in association with United Feature Syndicate and Paws, Inc., and ran on CBS Saturday mornings from September 17, 1988 to December 10, 1994, with...
. CBS sold the rights to the specials and Garfield and FriendsGarfield and FriendsGarfield and Friends is an American animated television series based on the comic strip Garfield by Jim Davis. The show was produced by Film Roman, in association with United Feature Syndicate and Paws, Inc., and ran on CBS Saturday mornings from September 17, 1988 to December 10, 1994, with...
to 20th Century Fox20th Century FoxTwentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. (which produced the live-action Garfield movies.)
- Until 2001, CBS owned the rights to several Dr. Seuss
- The video rights to the television holdings of Republic PicturesRepublic PicturesRepublic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
(which CBS now owns distribution rights and partial copyright to) - The library of theatrical films owned by CBS (such as those produced by Cinema Center Films, and several features produced in the 1980s that were originally distributed theatrically by Warner Bros.Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
)- Until 2009, the only exception was My Fair LadyMy Fair Lady (film)My Fair Lady is a 1964 musical film adaptation of the Lerner and Loewe stage musical, of the same name, based on the 1938 film adaptation of the original stage play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. The ballroom scene and the ending were taken from the previous film adaptation , rather than from...
, whose video rights were controlled by WB, though a VHS edition was released by Paramount. CBS/Paramount regained video rights in 2009.
- Until 2009, the only exception was My Fair Lady
CBS Corporation formed CBS Home Entertainment as a new home entertainment arm in 2007. However, Paramount continues to distribute a majority of CBS DVDs as of 2010. There are some exceptions. For example, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
won the right to release material from the newly formed incarnation of CBS Films
CBS Films
CBS Films is an American film production company founded in 2007, a feature film division of CBS Corporation. CBS Films is located on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles.-Company history:...
beginning in 2010, under license from CBS Home Entertainment. Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
holds the video license for the original Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
series. Many Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
-produced miniseries (such as the 1981 remake of East of Eden) which are now owned by CBS, as well as material from CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, have been issued through different video labels (though some more recent CBS News productions have been issued on DVD by CBS/Paramount).
Criticism
The company has been criticized by many for being unwilling to secure music rights for DVD, something that its predecessor, Paramount Home Entertainment (which still distributes the library on DVD), was usually willing to do, even going so far as to replace the entire musical scores on episodes of The FugitiveThe Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
, My Three Sons
My Three Sons
My Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end on August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas , raising his three sons.The series was a cornerstone of the CBS...
, and Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges is an American television police drama created by Carlton Cuse. The show starred Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit. The show ran for six seasons on CBS from March 29, 1996 to May 4, 2001 with a total of...
. Many episodes of The Odd Couple have appeared in edited form on CBS DVD releases (Seasons 2-5) even going as far as starting episodes in the middle of a scene just to avoid securing music rights.
On the other hand, such series as Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
and Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
have been issued on CBS DVD uncut in their original telecast versions, complete with all the original music as broadcast.
Past names
- CBS Video Enterprises (1975-1980)
- MGM/CBS Home Video (1980-1982)
- CBS/Fox VideoCBS/Fox VideoCBS/Fox Video was a home video company formed and established in 1982, as a merger between 20th Century Fox Video, formerly Magnetic Video Corporation, and CBS Video Enterprises....
(1982-1998) - CBS Video (1990-2004)
- Worldvision Home Video (1980-1995)
- Simon & Schuster Video
- King World Direct
- National Telefilm Associates Home Entertainment (1984-1986)