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Media Home Entertainment

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Media Home Entertainment Inc.
Company typeDivision
IndustryHome entertainment
Founded1978;46 years ago(1978)
FounderCharles Band
Defunct1993;31 years ago(1993)
FateCeased operations
SuccessorAnchor Bay Entertainment
HeadquartersCulver City, California
ProductsVHS
ParentHeron Communications
SubsidiariesHi-Tops Video(1986–1992)
Fox Hills Video (1986–1989)
The Nostalgia Merchant(1985–1989)

Media Home Entertainment Inc.was ahome videocompany headquartered inCulver City, California,originally established in 1978 by filmmakerCharles Band.

Media Home Entertainment also distributed video product under additional labels —The Nostalgia Merchant(very old or classic films; Media bought this company in 1984),[1]Hi-Tops Video(children's videos), Condor Video (Spanish-language titles, including Spanish dubs of films Media owned video rights to),[2]and Fox Hills Video (a sell-through label, devoted to special-interest videos including NFL Films Video releases, some obscure B-movies and low-profile Cannon pictures). The "Fox Hills" name was derived from a geographical location near the company's headquarters at 5700 Buckingham Parkway.

Videos from the Media Home Entertainment library were also distributed overseas in theUnited Kingdom,AustraliaandNew Zealandby VPD (Video Program Distributors) andVideo Classicsand inJapanbyTohokushinsha Film,respectively. Some releases by Media Home Entertainment and its associated sublabels were distributed inCanadaby Astral Video, a now-defunct subsidiary of the present-dayAstral Media(now part ofBell Media).

History

[edit]

The company got off to a rocky start whenABKCO Recordssuccessfully sued them for releasingThe Rolling Stones'Hyde Parkconcert onBetamaxandVHS,[3]followed by a successful suit against it,VCI Home Video,andVideo Tape Networkfiled byNorthern Songsfor releasingBeatlesmaterial (Media's tapes includedAround The Beatles—featuring the Beatles and theRolling Stonesas backup singers, with performers such asLong John Baldry—aJohn Lennonsolo concert,Magical Mystery Tour,aShea Stadiumconcert,Sextette—featuring Beatles memberRingo Starr—and aTokyoconcert),[4]but would eventually become one of the largest independent video distributors in the U.S., relying on acquired films, television programs, and children's programs to establish a library of product. Some releases from the company included the originalHalloween,the majority of thePeanutsspecials (up to 1984),[5]The Adventures of the Wilderness Family,Enemies, A Love Story,I Come in Peace,some films from theCannon Filmslibrary,[6]Cinetel Filmsreleases,[7]Troma Entertainmentfilms likeTroma's War,[8]the theatrical releases of rival video labelTrans World Entertainment,[9][10]and content fromNew Line Cinema,namely all of theNightmare on Elm Streetfilms in the 1980s (1984–1989), the first twoTexas Chain Saw Massacrefilms (1974's original and 1986's second, "2", bothTobe Hooper's direction) and 1976'sAssault on Precinct 13.Santa Claus: The Moviewas licensed by Media directly from the Salkind family.[11]

In December 1983, Media Home Entertainment was bought byHeron Communications Inc.,a subsidiary ofGerald Ronson'sHeron International;Heron had previously expanded into the British video market earlier in the year by way of the UK video company Videoform, which Heron purchased controlling interest in earlier that year.[12][13]

Rumors swirled throughout 1987 that Media Home Entertainment was for sale by Heron (Carolco,part-owners of rival video labelInternational Video Entertainment,were interested), but ultimately no sale happened at the time.[14][15]

In March 1988, Heron forged a licensing deal with budget distributorVideo Treasuresto release sell-through copies of Media releases.[16]Not long after, Media picked up the home video rights to theMorgan Creek Productionslibrary.[17]Media also picked up rights toViacom Picturestelefilms in early 1990, by which point the deal with Video Treasures had expanded.[18]

The death knell for Media came in early 1991, when parentHeron Internationalopted to put Media up for sale, having already begun to sell Hi-Tops Video toWestern Publishing;[19][20]Heron indicated a reason for the sale was because it saw the video operations as not being relevant to either Heron's European operations or the gradual wind-down of Heron's other US assets (which largely consisted of financial and real-estate businesses). As a result, Media formed a distribution pact withFoxVideo,with the latter company handling distribution of Media's non-sell-through titles (Video Treasures continued to handle sell-through titles from Media's catalog).[21]In hindsight, the sale may have been motivated by Heron's financial issues after Ronson was convicted in theGuinness share frauds scandal,which sent Heron into a financial tailspin by 1994.[22]

Media Home Entertainment ceased final operations in 1993, described as being under "caretaker management"; Video Treasures retained rights to portions of the Media library for several years afterwards.[23][24]After it shut down, MHE'sKathy Smithtitles moved toA*Vision Entertainmentunder the then-new BodyVision label.[25]

References

[edit]
  1. ^Zuckerman, Faye (July 14, 1984)."Media Home Entertainment Buys Nostalgia Merchant"(PDF).Billboard.RetrievedDecember 16,2021.
  2. ^"Media Home's Hispano Division, Condor, To Release 124 Titles".Variety.March 25, 1987. p. 148.
  3. ^Billboard, March 3, 1979
  4. ^The first Beatles tapes and the resulting lawsuits
  5. ^"Media Home Entertainment Grabs Cassette Rights to 'Peanuts' Specs".Variety.April 25, 1984. p. 41.
  6. ^McCullaugh, Jim (September 14, 1985)."Media Getting 32 Films from Cannon Group"(PDF).Billboard.RetrievedDecember 16,2021.
  7. ^"Media Signs Development Pact for First Turndown with Cinetel".Variety.April 18, 1984. p. 29.
  8. ^"Heron Obtains 9 Troma Films For HV And Inks With Cox For Madefors".Variety.July 22, 1987. p. 44.
  9. ^Bierbaum, Tom (April 2, 1986). "Heron Feeds Media's Pic Hopper; Antes $16-Mil For 8 TWE Films".Variety.p. 39.
  10. ^"TWE Deals With Heron But Future Could See Firm Going Solo Route".Variety.September 2, 1987. pp. 46, 48.
  11. ^Bierbaum, Tom (March 14, 1984). "MHE Pays $2.6-Mil Advance for 'Santa' Vid Rights, Pre-Shoot".Variety.p. 6.
  12. ^"British Financier Ronson Takes Over Video Distrib"(PDF).World Radio History.28 May 1983.Retrieved5 May2024.
  13. ^"Media Home to U.K.'s Heron"(PDF).World Radio History.24 December 1983.Retrieved5 May2024.
  14. ^Melanson, James (April 2, 1987). "Media Home Ent. Reportedly On The Homevid Sales Block; Carolco An Interested Bidder?".Variety.pp. 43–44.
  15. ^Melanson, James (April 29, 1987). "Heron Intl. Sez No Sale On MHE; Ups Its Commitment By $100-Mil".Variety.p. 39.
  16. ^[1]
  17. ^Harmetz, Aljean (April 25, 1989)."Producer Defies Rules, and Succeeds".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedOctober 18,2021.
  18. ^McCullaugh, Jim (20 January 1990)."Handleman Buys Rights To 1,500 Media Video Titles"(PDF).World Radio History.Retrieved5 May2024.
  19. ^Lichtman, Irv (20 July 1991)."Inside Track"(PDF).Retrieved26 July2023.
  20. ^McCullaugh, Jim (8 August 1991)."Western Publishing On The Fast Track With Hi-Tops Slate"(PDF).World Radio History.Retrieved26 July2023.
  21. ^McCullaugh, Jim (30 March 1991)."Parent Wants To Sell Media Home Entertainment"(PDF).World Radio History.Retrieved5 May2024.
  22. ^"Heron Group lurches deeper into crisis".The Independent.1994-04-02.Retrieved2024-05-06.
  23. ^Goldstein, Seth (12 December 1992)."Picture This"(PDF).World Radio History.Retrieved5 May2024.
  24. ^Goldstein, Seth (30 January 1993)."Video Treasures Polishes Up; Stevens To Focus On Acquisitions"(PDF).World Radio History.Retrieved5 May2024.
  25. ^Applefield, Catherine; Goldstein, Seth (February 13, 1993)."A*Vision Works Out Label Deal With Kathy Smith"(PDF).Billboard.RetrievedOctober 17,2021.
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