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 that became a 50-50 merger with CBS and Fox.

 

The company was based in Farmington Hills, Michigan until 1985, when it moved to Livonia, Michigan. In 1989, it moved its headquarters to New York City, where it stayed until it became Fox Video (now 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) in 1991.

 

History

Video rental library

Before CBS/Fox Video existed, 20th Century Fox Video released a select few titles for rental only, including Dr. No, Rocky, and Star Wars. 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. Similar approaches were taken by Walt Disney Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video around that time.

 

Joint venture

In 1982, CBS formed a 50-50 venture with 20th Century Fox after Metro-Goldwyn Mayer broke off a joint venture with CBS, that was agreed in 1980, to market videocassettes and videodiscs. This was publicly announced on June 18, 1982, where they announced CBS's 40-acre film and production facility in Studio City, California would be operated by both companies.In the process, CBS and Fox continued to independently supply programs for the home video market, while CBS/Fox supplied films from motion picture studios.

 

In 1985, CBS/Fox became the American licensee of BBC Video products.CBS/Fox brought large amounts of film libraries such as the United Artists films. The library brought consisted mainly of pre-MGM merger titles (although at the time, MGM holds the video rights to some pre-merger films that are not yet released on video), films from the James Bond and Rocky series, although the post-merger Bond and Rocky 1980s sequels were released by CBS/Fox as well, and some low profile post-merger films under license from MGM/UA. These UA films were later issued through MGM/UA Home Video (now, MGM Home Entertainment) starting in 1989 (although Fox would later release the post-1986 MGM library years later). CBS/Fox also secured rights from George Lucas for the video release of The Empire Strikes Back for $12 million on August 30, 1984. Lucas claimed the deal was to not allow the film to be broadcast on television.

 

In 1985, CBS and 20th Century Fox secured a financial package that saw both companies generate between $75 and $100 million. The deal also included the offering of bonds with the investment firm Drexel Burnham Lambert.

 

In 1986, CBS/Fox lost the home video rights to the a.a.p. library to MGM/UA Home Video. At the time, the a.a.p. and pre-May 1986 MGM film libraries were purchased by Ted Turner after its short-lived ownership of MGM/UA, which resulted in the formation of Turner Entertainment Co. In 1987, the company increased its rights from BBC Video after buying the rights to 600 broadcasts. When asked about how the agreement came to light, then-CBS/Fox president Leonard White said "The deal is timed to coincide with the BBC's 50th anniversary".Within a month of the announcement, CBS/Fox released a definitive line-up of films named "Five Star Collection IV" which included 28 films. Such films included: Revenge of the Nerds, Cat's Eye and Oxford Blues.

 

In 1989, CBS/Fox lost the home video rights to the Lorimar library to Warner Home Video, after Warner Communications (which merged with Time Inc. that year to form Time Warner) purchased Lorimar. In November of that year, the company filed a lawsuit against MGM/UA over a video distribution agreement that was broken. The claim was that CBS/Fox lost revenue after video releases ended up being films that did not perform well in cinemas while MGM/UA distributed higher-grossing films.The two companies were placed in a bad relationship since 1981 when MGM/UA brought United Artists which created its own video subsidiary.The case was settled on June 26, 1992, when both companies resolved their differences.

 

In 1990–91, CBS/Fox began releasing titles from the then bankrupt Media Home Entertainment. At the end of 1990, CBS/Fox reported they controlled 6.5% of the home video market and reported revenues of $249 million.

 

In 1990, a reorganization of the company was made, with most mainstream Fox titles being turned over to the new FoxVideo that appeared in 1991.[13] CBS began releasing their product under the "CBS Video" name, with FoxVideo handling distribution. However, CBS/Fox remained active for distribution of BBC Video products and other non-CBS or Fox products, and their print logo was also used for FoxVideo's re-releases of pre-1990 Fox movies in tandem with the latter company's logo.

 

In 1992, ABC Sports and CBS/Fox agreed to a collaboration that allowed men's fragrance company Drakkar Noir to promote their products on a nationwide scale on television. The advertisements cost Drakkar Noir in excess of $1.3 million, which included footage from ABC's The Thrill of Victory and CBS/Fox's The Agony of Defeat.

 

In 1993, CBS/Fox broadened its appeal to include gay audiences with the release of The Lost Language of Cranes, a BBC production that was shown on PBS in 1992. Video rental stores took advantage of a gay and lesbian audience, which was a small demographic.
 

In 1995, CBS/Fox secured a 10-year agreement that would allow the company to distribute On Ice's Inc. production of Nutcracker on Ice that was aired by NBC on January 1, 1996.

 

The end of CBS/Fox Video

In early 1998, Fox Entertainment Group (owned by News Corporation) acquired CBS/Fox Video and the rest of CBS/Fox's non-shopping (film and TV) assets, and renamed CBS/Fox Video to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

 

The company ceased full operations in May 1998, with the releases of FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue and Our Friend, Martin. A short time later, CBS's merger with Viacom was finalized, and the CBS/Fox partnership ceased existence, although even after the corporate split CBS/Fox did still own some ancillary rights to two Rodgers and Hammerstein film properties, South Pacific and Oklahoma, until 20th Century Fox was able to fully assume CBS/Fox' former share of these films.

 

Specialty labels

CBS/Fox used specialty 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 and drive-in fare and some television films, and Playhouse Video (children's films and programs, including Planet of the Apes films and Shirley Temple's films, Muppet videos, Mr. Rogers videos, and Dr. Seuss Specials by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises on CBS and ABC videos); this label was also used on the earliest Doctor Who VHS releases. These became inactive by 1991, though 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment reactivated the Key Video label as Key DVD.

 

eissues under different labels

Many CBS/Fox titles are out of print, or have been reissued under different labels.

 

20th Century Fox now directly handles its own film and TV library.

 

CBS Home Entertainment, with distribution by Paramount Home Entertainment, handles the programming assets of CBS, including films from CBS Theatrical Films and predecessor companies like Cinema Center Films, the TV series produced by CBS Television Studios, and the pre-1960 Desilu Productions library. Paramount distributes the Viacom-owned film library in-house.
 

As for films licensed from other companies, these are the current rights holders:

 

• MGM/UA Entertainment Co.: MGM Home Entertainment

• TriStar Pictures: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

• BBC Video: 2 Entertain/Warner Home Video

• ABC Pictures: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, MGM Home Entertainment

• ITC Entertainment: Lions Gate Entertainment (50%, previously Artisan Entertainment) and Universal Studios Home Entertainment (50%)

• Pre-1950 WB films, Lorimar: Warner Home Video, with the former library handled in conjunction with sister company Turner Entertainment (successor-in-interest to Associated Artists Productions [a.a.p.])

• Muppet releases (except for The Muppets Take Manhattan and Muppets From Space): Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

• Short Circuit: Image Entertainment

• Media Home Entertainment: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment/Anchor Bay Entertainment

• Wallace & Gromit releases: HiT Entertainment

Today, MGM Home Entertainment releases are distributed by Fox as well.

 

Film libraries released

CBS/Fox released the film and television libraries of 20th Century Fox and CBS (many of the latter's titles had been previously issued through CBS Video's partnership with MGM), in addition to the following film libraries:

 

• United Artists

• Some late-1980s MGM films, Overboard and A Fish Called Wanda being the most notable.

• ABC Pictures

• ITC Entertainment

• Some early TriStar Pictures films like The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Legend of Billie Jean, and Places in the Heart (at the time, TriStar was a joint venture between CBS, Columbia Pictures, and HBO)

• Theatrical films owned by Viacom, such as The African Queen and many Elvis Presley films originally released by Paramount Pictures (which itself became part of Viacom in 1994).

• Lorimar Productions titles prior to 1984, including films from Allied Artists and predecessor Monogram Pictures. All productions released after 1984 went to their new home video division.

• Roy Export (licensee of the Charlie Chaplin estate)

• Some later films from Producers Sales Organization, the most notable title being Short Circuit.

 

Anti-piracy measures

In countries such as Australia, CBS/Fox introduced a colored spine that was either yellow or blue on VHS tapes. On Betamax cassettes, a polarized seal was present. These measures were taken to ensure that consumers would be guaranteed that their products were of high quality.