BVS Entertainment facts for kids
Final official logo, used from 1996 to 2001 while still active as Saban Entertainment
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| Successors | Hasbro Entertainment (Power Rangers franchise) Toei Animation Inc. (Digimon franchise) BMG Rights Management (music library) Saban Capital Group (branding) |
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| Parent | ABC Family Worldwide (1996–present) |
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BVS Entertainment, Inc. is a company that creates and distributes TV shows. It used to be known by other names like Saban Productions and Saban Entertainment. This company is now part of The Walt Disney Company.
It was started on April 24, 1980, by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy. They first focused on making music. Over time, they started making and sharing TV shows, especially popular children's programs. Many of these shows aired on channels like Fox Family, ABC Family, Fox Kids, and Jetix.
Saban Entertainment was famous for bringing Japanese shows to North America. They would translate and change these shows for new audiences. Examples include Maple Town, Noozles, Samurai Pizza Cats, and the first three Digimon series. They also adapted Japanese live-action shows called tokusatsu. These include Power Rangers (based on Super Sentai), Big Bad Beetleborgs, VR Troopers, and Masked Rider.
The company also helped distribute and create music for shows made by other companies. These include The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Inspector Gadget, and the first two English versions of Dragon Ball Z.
In the 1990s, Saban also had a part of their company called Libra Pictures. This part made shows for older audiences. They also had Saban Domestic Distribution, which helped share their shows with TV stations.
Contents
History of BVS Entertainment
How the Company Started
Saban Entertainment began on April 24, 1980, as Saban Productions, Inc.. It first focused on making music for TV shows. In 1981, they started working with DIC Entertainment to create music for their programs. Saban also made music for other companies like Ruby-Spears and Filmation.
In 1984, Saban started making its own TV shows. Their first show was Kidd Video, made with DIC Enterprises. NBC picked up this show for its Saturday morning lineup. Saban then produced Macron 1, an English version of a Japanese show called GoShogun.
In 1986, Saban Productions bought the rights to DIC Enterprises' children's shows for other countries. They then sold these rights to Créativité et Développement. In 1987, DIC and Saban Productions worked together more closely. They made shows like I'm Telling! and The New Archies for NBC.
Saban Productions also started planning live-action TV shows and movies in 1987. They worked on several pilot episodes, but many were not made into full series. By late 1987, Saban had three new projects for TV stations. These included game shows and a teen dance show.
In 1988, Saban Productions teamed up with newspaper columnist Jack Anderson. They planned to make four special TV programs called American Expose. Orbis Communications helped share these shows. Saban International N.V. was created to share these and other shows around the world.
By early 1989, Saban formed Saban/Scherick Productions with Edgar Scherick. This part of the company made miniseries and TV movies. They also started sharing movies from New World Pictures with TV stations. As the company grew, it hired more people to work on new types of shows. Saban International N.V. was set up in the U.S. and the Netherlands to share shows internationally. In August 1989, Tom Palmieri became Saban's president. On September 13, the company changed its name to Saban Entertainment, Inc.
In 1990, Saban worked with video game company Acclaim Entertainment and Bohbot Entertainment. They created a TV show called Video Power. Saban also started Saban Video to release shows on home video. In 1992, Saban signed a deal with Bohbot Communications. This deal helped share Saban's Around the World in Eighty Dreams and Saban's Gulliver's Travels as part of the Amazin' Adventures block.
Working with Marvel Entertainment
In 1992, Saban teamed up with Marvel Entertainment Group. They created an animated series based on Marvel's X-Men comic book heroes. This show was a big success for Saban and ran until 1997. The next year, Saban brought another hit to the Fox Kids lineup: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. This show was based on the Japanese Super Sentai series. In 1994, Power Rangers toys and products made over a billion dollars in profit for Saban.
Later in 1992, Saban created Saban Domestic Distribution to share shows with TV stations. In 1994, Saban Entertainment launched Libra Pictures. This part of the company made films for older audiences, while the Saban name was used for kids' shows. This was similar to how Disney had Walt Disney Studios and Touchstone Pictures. In the same year, Saban made a deal with A*Vision Entertainment to release videos under the Saban Home Entertainment and Libra Home Entertainment names.
In December 1994, Saban partnered with UPN to create the UPN Kids TV block. This block started on September 10, 1995, with shows like Space Strikers and Teknoman. In 1995, Saban Interactive was created to make CD-ROM games based on Power Rangers.
In November 1995, Saban Entertainment and Fox Broadcasting Company partnered up. They planned to create children's TV channels, develop shows, and create toys and products around the world.
In February 1996, Saban Domestic Distribution launched a TV block called "The Saban Network for Kids!". This block included the first North American version of Dragon Ball Z. It also had a new Saban-made version of the Gatchaman anime called Eagle Riders. Other shows included Saban's Adventures of Oliver Twist, The Why Why Family, and new episodes of Masked Rider and VR Troopers. Some shows from this block helped meet rules set by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). Dragon Ball Z was very popular, leading Saban to air it in its own hour-long block.
Saban Joins Fox Family Worldwide
In July 1996, Fox Kids Network got the rights from Marvel Entertainment Group for characters like Captain America and Silver Surfer. They planned to make new series with these characters. In the same month, Saban created Saban Enterprises International to handle toys and products around the world.
Also in 1996, Fox Kids Network (owned by News Corporation) joined with Saban Entertainment. They formed a new company called Fox Kids Worldwide. Fox Kids Network had already bought the animation library of Marvel Productions. When Haim Saban talked with News Corporation owner Rupert Murdoch, Saban preferred a partnership instead of selling his company completely. After this, Saban ended its video distribution deal with WarnerVision Entertainment. They moved to Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
In December 1996, Saban Domestic Distribution announced another TV block. It was called "X-Men … and More!" and started in Fall 1997. This block included X-Men: The Animated Series and other Marvel shows like Iron Man and Fantastic Four. Saban also announced they would bring back Captain Kangaroo for their syndication block. Saban's partnership with UPN continued even after the Fox merger. They worked on animated shows like Bureau of Alien Detectors and The Mouse and the Monster. UPN Kids also aired a new animated series based on The Incredible Hulk. Saban provided music for this show and later became a co-producer. Saban's Sweet Valley High series moved to UPN Kids for its final season in late 1997. UPN Kids also aired reruns of former Fox Kids shows like X-Men: The Animated Series and Big Bad Beetleborgs.
In 1998, Saban Entertainment started making shows only for Fox Kids and Fox Family. Their syndication unit focused on making films for other channels. The last North American show they made for a non-Fox channel was Breaker High, which aired on UPN Kids in late 1997.
Marvel was planning a Captain America animated series with Saban Entertainment for Fox Kids in 1998. However, Marvel faced financial problems, and the series was canceled.
In the 1990s, Marvel sold the rights to their characters for movies due to money issues. The rights to X-Men went to 20th Century Fox in 1994. This led to a live-action film in 2000. This deal only covered movies and live-action TV shows. This allowed an animated series, X-Men: Evolution, to air on Kids' WB in 2000 without Fox or Saban's involvement. Eventually, Saban (renamed BVS Entertainment), Marvel, and 20th Century Fox all became part of The Walt Disney Company. Saban joined in 2001, Marvel in 2009, and 20th Century Fox in 2019.
Sale to The Walt Disney Company
On July 23, 2001, it was announced that The Walt Disney Company would buy Fox Family Worldwide/Fox Kids Worldwide. This included Saban Entertainment. The sale was completed on October 24, 2001. Saban Entertainment, Inc. then changed its name to BVS (Buena Vista Studios) Entertainment, Inc. on November 29, 2001.
The last show fully made and shared by Saban Entertainment was Power Rangers Time Force, which aired in 2001. However, Power Rangers Wild Force was the last series that Saban helped create before the sale.
After Disney bought Saban, its other companies also changed names. Saban International N.V. became BVS International N.V. Saban's share of Saban International Paris was also bought. This studio was renamed "SIP Animation" in October 2002. It could no longer use the "Saban" name.
Saban's distribution part joined Buena Vista Television on May 1, 2002. Fox Kids Europe announced that Buena Vista International Television would take over sharing Saban's children's shows.
Saban's European company for licensing products, Saban Consumer Products Europe, changed its name to Active Licensing Europe in 2003. It then became Jetix Consumer Products in 2004.
What Happened Next
Before the sale, Disney was only involved with one show made by Saban Entertainment. This was Susie Q, a film released in 1996. Disney gained the rights to Susie Q when it bought Saban in 2001. Susie Q is the only BVS Entertainment property that directly uses the Disney brand.
After the sale, Disney closed Saban Entertainment's animation unit. However, animation continued at SIP Animation, where BVS had a small share. Shows made by BVS Entertainment and SIP Animation were shared by Buena Vista International Television.
The part of Saban that helped translate and dub anime into English was renamed "Sensation Animation" in 2002. This allowed Disney to continue dubbing Digimon episodes. When production ended in July 2003, Sensation Animation closed. Disney later dubbed more Digimon films and the fifth TV season, Digimon Data Squad. This time, another studio called Studiopolis handled the dubbing.
BVS Entertainment continued making the Power Rangers shows throughout the 2000s. In 2010, Haim Saban started a new company, Saban Capital Group and Saban Brands. He bought back Power Rangers and related shows from Disney. Saban Brands then produced new Power Rangers seasons, starting with Power Rangers Samurai, and other shows like Glitter Force. Saban Brands closed in 2018, and many of its shows were bought by Hasbro.
ABC Family made a third film in Saban's Au Pair film series, Au Pair 3: Adventure in Paradise, in 2009. Disney did not make any new projects based on older BVS shows until X-Men '97 in 2024. This new show's title referred to the year X-Men: The Animated Series ended. It also featured many of the same actors and crew.
Disney mostly held the rights to existing Saban shows. The company BVS Entertainment legally existed until its last show, Power Rangers RPM, in 2009. Disney merged many of Saban's smaller companies into BVS Entertainment. Most BVS Entertainment shows have not been used by Disney since the late 2000s.
Other Companies and Divisions
Saban Entertainment had many smaller companies around the world. Some were created for financial reasons. Not all of them actively made shows, but they helped with production or sharing. Disney later combined all these smaller companies into BVS Entertainment or other Disney groups.
SIP Animation
SIP Animation was a TV production studio in France. It was known as Saban International Paris from 1977 to 2009. It started as a record label in 1977 and moved into animation in 1989. In 1991, Saban International Paris became a separate company. Saban Entertainment owned a large share of it. In 2001, Disney gained Saban's share of Saban International Paris. The studio was renamed SIP Animation in October 2002. It continued making shows until 2009. Disney became the only owner of the studio in 2012, and it officially closed in October 2023. All its remaining shows and assets became part of BVS Entertainment.
Créativité et Développement (1987–1998): This was a new name for DIC's French company. It made shows until the mid-1990s. In 1996, Saban International Paris bought it. Its assets were later sold off by Saban in 1998. Some of these shows are still owned by Disney.
Jetix Europe N.V.
Jetix Europe N.V. was previously called Fox Kids Europe N.V. (1996–2009). BVS Entertainment held a large share in Jetix Europe N.V. for its parent company, ABC Family Worldwide Inc. This company in the Netherlands was in charge of money, sales, and operations across Europe. These shares were later moved to Disney Holdings B.V.
- Jetix Consumer Products: This was a UK-based company. It was previously called Saban Consumer Products and Active Licensing Europe.
Other Groups and Divisions
- BVS International N.V. - formerly Saban International N.V. (1989–2016): This was Saban's international distribution company. It was based in Curaçao. It owned most of the shares of Jetix Europe N.V. with BVS Entertainment. It also held the rights to the SIP Animation name after 2002. This company was closed in 2016.
- Vesical Limited: This company held the DIC catalog of shows, like Inspector Gadget and Heathcliff. Saban bought this company and its shows, gaining the rights to share the DIC catalog outside the US. These rights stayed with BVS Entertainment until DIC Entertainment bought them back in 2006.
- BVS International Services Inc. - formerly Saban International Services Inc. (1986–2011): It was started in 1986 as Shinwa Productions. Its purpose was to bring in, license, and dub foreign TV shows. It changed its name twice before becoming BVS International Services Inc. in 2001. The rights for dubbing and licensing imported shows were registered under this company's name. It merged with the main company in 2011.
- BVS International Programming A.V.V. (1994–2007): This company started in Aruba. Its first name was "Fox Kids International Programming A.V.V." The rights to several shows, like Xyber 9: New Dawn and NASCAR Racers, were registered under its name. It was closed in 2007.
- Saban/Sherick Productions: Started with Edgar Scherick in 1989. It made live-action films and TV series. Saban later bought it completely. It closed in May 2001, just before Disney took over.
- Laurel Way Productions Inc.: This company helped produce and held rights for Xyber 9: New Dawn. It merged with the main company in 2011.
- Teen Dream Productions Inc. (1994–2011): This company's only job was to help produce Sweet Valley High. It merged with the main company in 2011.
- MMPR Productions Inc.: This company was listed in the credits as a helper for Power Rangers shows made between 1993 and 2001. Its current status is unknown.
- Interprod Inc.: This company was often listed in the credits of live-action TV and home video films. It held the rights for some films. It merged with the main company in 2011.
- Ventura Film Distributors B.V.: Another company based in the Netherlands. It was often listed in the credits of shows made by Saban International Paris. Its current status is unknown.
- Sensation Animation: This was a new name Disney gave to Saban's studios that translated and dubbed anime. It translated the fourth season of Digimon: Digital Monsters. It closed and became part of Walt Disney Television Animation in 2003.
Libra Pictures
Libra Pictures was created to make shows for older audiences, similar to what Saban did in its early days. It often worked with Shavick Entertainment and O'Hara-Horowitz. It was a label, not a separate legal company. It made lower-budget films, some of which were thrillers, for TV and home video. Saban's partner, Shuki Levy, often oversaw these productions. Films from Shuki Levy's own company, Vertigo Pictures, were also licensed by Saban Entertainment through Libra Pictures and are now owned by Disney. Disney bought the rights to Libra Pictures with Saban in 2001 and then stopped using the label.
Susie Q, the only Disney-branded production in Saban's history, was made by Libra Pictures. Some films from NBC's Moment of Truth series and the thriller Blindfold: Acts of Obsession are also part of the Libra catalog. Libra also helped produce Terminal Velocity, a movie released in theaters.
List of Shows and Films
Saban Entertainment's main U.S. company made and shared TV shows and films until late 2001. After that, BVS Entertainment continued to make Power Rangers series, and SIP Animation continued to make animated series. BVS Entertainment also remained the main company holding all the smaller companies.
How Shows Were Released
Most shows owned by Saban Entertainment from the early 1990s were released on VHS tapes. However, from the late 1990s on, almost all Saban Entertainment shows were only released on DVDs in Australia and New Zealand. The current owners in North America, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, do not plan to release these shows on DVD and Blu-ray. Instead, some of them aired on Disney XD, and originally on Toon Disney and ABC Family. In many European countries, Fox Kids Europe (later Jetix Europe) had a channel called Fox Kids Play (later Jetix Play) that aired many Saban Entertainment shows. Some shows were also released on DVD and VHS by other companies, like Maximum Entertainment in the United Kingdom.
Many Marvel-related shows shared by Saban and some of their live-action films, like Richie Rich's Christmas Wish, are available on the Disney+ streaming service. The Tick is on Hulu, and Prime Video has Sweet Valley High and A.T.O.M. available in the United States.
On March 13, 2012, Shout! Factory announced a deal with Saban Brands to release shows on home video. This included VR Troopers, the first two seasons of Big Bad Beetleborgs, and Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. Shout! Factory has also released the first 17 seasons of Power Rangers on DVD in Region 1. In Germany, complete season box sets of Power Rangers series have been released, including English versions up to season 6.
In Australia, Digimon: Digital Monsters' first and second seasons were re-released by Madman Entertainment in 2011. Also, the first five series were released on DVD in North America by New Video.
DVD Releases by North Video
The Czech company North Video was a big distributor of Saban Entertainment shows on DVD in English. This studio started in 1992 and began distributing CDs and DVDs in 2002. In 2007, North Video started selling DVDs in thin paper cases, which were sold cheaply with newspapers in Czechia and Slovakia. The company was very successful for years, but by 2023, it was no longer active because fewer people were buying physical media.
In 2010, North Video licensed and released many DVD volumes of Saban shows in this newspaper format. Some of these shows might not have any other DVD releases. North Video always followed a set pattern: individual volumes with 3 or 4 episodes each. They had Czech packaging and menus, but always included both Czech and original English audio. They also used the original video with English text and followed the original order of episodes.
North Video also released Marvel Studios shows and later titles from Jetix. These included Captain Flamingo, Monster Warriors, Pucca, and Sonic X.
| Series | Episodes | Volumes | First release | Last release |
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| Diabolik | 40 (all) | 12 | May 10, 2010 | August 2, 2010 |
| Eek! The Cat | 39 | 12 | June 25, 2010 | September 17, 2010 |
| NASCAR Racers | 26 (all) | 8 | March 9, 2010 | June 1, 2010 |
| Princess Sissi | 52 (all) | 16 | June 4, 2010 | December 18, 2010 |
| Saban's Adventures of Oliver Twist | 18 | 6 | September 24, 2010 | October 29, 2010 |
| Saban's Adventures of the Little Mermaid | 18 | 6 | March 26, 2010 | April 30, 2010 |
| The New Addams Family | 39 | 12 | February 15, 2010 | May 3, 2010 |
| The Why Why Family | 26 (all) | 8 | September 2, 2010 | October 21, 2010 |
| What's with Andy? | 33 | 10 | April 13, 2010 | July 15, 2010 |
What Happened to the Shows and Music?
Show Library
In 1996, the company had over 3,700 half-hours of children's shows. This made it one of the biggest in the world. By the time Disney bought them in 2001, their library had grown to over 6,500 half-hours of children's programming.
Most of the shows made or shared by BVS Entertainment and its smaller companies are now owned by The Walt Disney Company. They are distributed by Disney Platform Distribution.
Music Library
Saban's music library had about 3,800 songs, theme tunes, and background music. This number includes music that Shuki Levy and Haim Saban made together in the 1980s for shows not owned by Saban Entertainment, like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Almost all these songs are listed as being written by Shuki Levy and Haim Saban. They were also listed as composers in the TV credits for most Saban shows. In the 1990s, Haim Saban started using the name "Kussa Mahchi" for his music credits. For shows made by Saban International Paris, he used the name "Michel Dax" starting in the mid-1990s.
A report in 1998 suggested that during the 1990s, many TV songs credited to Levy and Saban were actually created by paid staff. These staff members did not receive extra money for their work because they signed contracts giving up their rights. For movies, these staff members usually had to be given proper credit. Levy and Saban were not listed as composers in the credits of these films, but their names were still on the official music lists. Music believed to be created by these staff members, like Ron Wasserman's theme for X-Men: The Animated Series, is still credited to Shuki Levy and Haim Saban when used in other media, such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and X-Men '97.
Some of this music library might have been lost when Disney bought Saban in 2001. In 2010, Haim Saban sold the music library to a company called Bug Music. Bug Music then sold it to BMG in 2011.
See also
In Spanish: Saban Entertainment para niños
