20th Century Home Entertainment facts for kids
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Formerly
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| Industry | Home video |
| Predecessor | Magnetic Video (1968–1982) |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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Key people
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Keith Feldman (president) |
| Products | Home video |
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| Parent | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment |
20th Century Home Entertainment is a company that releases movies and TV shows for you to watch at home. It used to be called 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. This company is now part of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. It helps bring films from 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, and 20th Century Animation to your screens. It also distributes TV series from 20th Television, Searchlight Television, 20th Television Animation, and FX Productions.
The company started in 1982. For a long time, it was its own separate part of the Fox company. But on March 20, 2019, The Walt Disney Company bought 21st Century Fox. Because of this, 20th Century Home Entertainment became part of Disney's home entertainment group. Now, it works as a brand under Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. It also releases movies from other companies it has deals with.
Before 1982, from 1976 to 1982, Fox worked with a company called Magnetic Video to release videos. Even after Magnetic Video became 20th Century-Fox Video, the company kept releasing movies on videocassettes in North America until 2005. They also started releasing movies on LaserDisc in 1981. Other film companies like Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) also worked with Magnetic Video.
History of Home Entertainment
Early Years: 20th Century-Fox Video (1982)
In March 1979, 20th Century-Fox bought Magnetic Video Corporation. This was a smaller company that distributed home videos. In 1982, Fox changed Magnetic Video Corporation's name to 20th Century-Fox Video.
During this time, 20th Century-Fox Video released a few movies just for renting. These included Death Hunt, Dr. No, Rocky, and Star Wars. Tapes for sale came in large boxes, while rental tapes were in black plastic cases.
Working with CBS: CBS/Fox Video (1982–2001)
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Trade name
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CBS/Fox Video |
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| Joint venture | |
| Industry | Home video |
| Fate | Closed |
| Predecessors | 20th Century-Fox Video CBS Video Enterprises |
| Successors | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment CBS Home Entertainment Paramount Home Entertainment |
| Founded | June 1982 |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Headquarters |
Farmington Hills, Michigan (1982-1985)
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Livonia, Michigan (1986-1988) New York City, New York (1989-1991) |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Home media |
| Owners | CBS Inc. (50%) 20th Century Fox (50%) |
In June 1982, 20th Century Fox teamed up with CBS. They formed a new company called CBS/Fox Video. This partnership aimed to sell more videos directly to customers. They even made deals with stores like Toys "R" Us.
Two smaller labels were created under CBS/Fox Video. Key Video started in 1984. It focused on older movies and special titles for collectors. Playhouse Video began in 1985. It released movies and shows for children and families, like The Muppets and Peanuts specials. Both of these labels stopped being active by 1991.
In March 1991, the company changed again. A new part called FoxVideo was created. FoxVideo took over distributing all 20th Century Fox movies. CBS started releasing its own products under the "CBS Video" name. FoxVideo tried to make it easier for people to buy movies instead of just renting them. They lowered prices on family films, starting with Home Alone in 1991.
Becoming 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1995–2020)
The company changed its name to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on March 16, 1995. This happened after Fox bought CBS's share in CBS/Fox. The company also started new parts like Fox Kids Video.
When DVDs came out, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment was quick to adopt the new format. They saw that DVDs were popular because they were affordable and people wanted to own them. The company started releasing whole seasons of popular TV shows on DVD, like The X-Files, The Simpsons, and 24. This helped start the idea of "binge-watching" TV shows.
In 2004, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released The Passion of the Christ on DVD, which sold 15 million copies. They also started a special film production group called Fox Faith in 2006 for religious movies.
By 2005, DVDs were becoming less popular. New high-definition TVs needed a better format. Fox supported Blu-ray, which eventually won the "format war" against HD DVD in 2008. However, with streaming services becoming popular, disc sales didn't bounce back as much as expected.
In 2006, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) started having 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment distribute its movies. This helped Fox become one of the top home video companies. In 2007, they released Live Free or Die Hard with a digital copy included, which was a new idea. The 2010 Blu-ray release of Avatar was the best-selling title of the year. In 2011, the full Star Wars double trilogy was released on Blu-ray, selling 1 million copies in its first week.
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In 2012, Fox Home Entertainment started releasing digital versions of movies a few weeks before the discs. They also launched a program called Digital HD, where customers could download or stream Fox films. Later, 4K Ultra HD was introduced, offering even better picture quality. In 2016, Fox was one of the first studios to release movies on Ultra HD Blu-ray.
Under Disney: 20th Century Home Entertainment (2020–present)
In December 2017, The Walt Disney Company planned to buy 21st Century Fox. This deal was completed on March 20, 2019. This meant 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment became part of Disney.
On January 17, 2020, Disney changed the name of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment to 20th Century Home Entertainment. They removed "Fox" to avoid confusion with other Fox companies. Now, it works as a brand under Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. It releases movies and TV shows from 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, and other related studios.
Since Disney+ launched in 2019, Disney has started to stop selling physical discs in some parts of the world. In other regions, they let different local companies distribute their movies. In February 2024, Disney made a deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Sony will now handle all physical disc production and distribution for Disney's home entertainment in North America.
What They Distribute
20th Century Home Entertainment is the label used by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to release movies and shows from 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, 20th Century Animation, and various TV divisions like 20th Television. One of their most popular DVD releases has been the season box sets of The Simpsons.
Past Distribution Deals
Over the years, 20th Century Home Entertainment has had many deals to distribute content for other companies.
MGM
From 1999, Fox helped MGM release its films outside of North America. In 2006, MGM signed a worldwide deal with Fox for home video distribution. This deal was renewed several times but ended on June 30, 2020. After that, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment took over.
DreamWorks Animation
From 2013, 20th Century Fox also released films from DreamWorks Animation on home media. This included older DreamWorks movies too. This deal ended in 2017 when DreamWorks Animation was bought by NBCUniversal. Their movies then moved to Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Other Agreements
- BBC Video: CBS/Fox Video used to distribute BBC Video products in the United States until 2000.
- Artisan: From 1998, Fox distributed Artisan's film library in the United States. This deal ended in 2021.
- DIC Entertainment: In 2006, Fox made a deal with animation studio DIC Entertainment to release some of their shows like Inspector Gadget and Care Bears on DVD.
- HIT Entertainment: In 2006, Fox also distributed DVDs for the UK company HIT Entertainment in the US.
- WWE Studios: In 2008, WWE Studios signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to distribute their films.
- Annapurna Pictures: Since 2017, 20th Century Home Entertainment distributes films for Annapurna Pictures in the United States.
- Fox-Paramount Home Entertainment: From 2013 to 2020, Fox had a joint company with Paramount Home Entertainment in Nordic countries.
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: From 2013 to 2016, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment distributed Sony Pictures Home Entertainment products in Spanish-speaking areas.
See also
In Spanish: 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment para niños
