Paramount Home Entertainment
FormerlyParamount Home Video (1976–1999)
Paramount Home Media Distribution (2011–2019)
TypeDivision
IndustryHome media
PredecessorsCIC Video
DreamWorks Home Entertainment
Miramax Home Entertainment
Founded1976; 48 years ago (1976)
Headquarters,
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Bob Buchi (President)
ProductsHome video releases
ServicesHome video
Digital distribution
ParentParamount Pictures
(Paramount Global)
Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, and originally Paramount Home Video) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures, a division of Paramount Global.

The division oversees PPC's home entertainment and transactional digital distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Players, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television Studios, CBS, Showtime, MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, BET, Comedy Central, Paramount+, and applicable licensing and servicing of certain pre-2010 DreamWorks Pictures, Miramax, pre-2005 Dimension Films titles, and DreamWorks Animation films from 2006 to 2012, as well as select IFC Films titles and Saban Films titles. PHE additionally manages global licensing of studio content and transactional distribution across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies.

History

When the video distribution unit was formed, Paramount released its video library through Fotomat. The relationship ended and Paramount soon formed its own video arm in 1980.

In the United Kingdom and other countries, the Paramount Pictures film library were released on VHS by CIC Video alongside Universal Pictures until 1999 before CIC was renamed to Paramount Home Entertainment UK and PolyGram Video was renamed to Universal Pictures Home Entertainment UK.

In 1985, Paramount Home Video had inked an agreement with Atlantic Releasing Corporation whereas Atlantic would license the video distribution rights of then-upcoming titles to Paramount, as well as the pay-per-view and syndication markets. In 1986, the company had inked a home video distribution deal with public domain distributor Kartes Video Communications to license out the titles from the Paramount catalog, via a 20-movie distribution agreement. That year, the company had inked an agreement with Oliver Wilson Productions to launch a direct-to-video original comedy series of four shows, which was basically "an experiment" in home video programming.

In 1988, Charles Band through his Full Moon Entertainment company had inked a deal with Paramount to release videocassettes of Band's then-upcoming films. In 1989, it struck out a deal with Prism Entertainment to release titles on videocassette via an independent distribution agreement. In 1990, Skouras Pictures had signed an agreement with Paramount Home Video to release videocassettes, and in 1992, subsequently launched Skouras Home Video, with Paramount distributing the titles. In 1992, Miramax Home Video had inked a distribution deal with Paramount in order to release Miramax's then-upcoming films on videocassette, which lasted until Miramax was acquired by Disney.

In 1994, it signed a deal with Capital Cities/ABC via subsidiary Capital Cities/ABC Video Publishing to handle distribution of its content through its labels ABC Video and Summa Video.

From 2004 to 2011, PHE distributed PBS and PBS Kids programs on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray, taking over from Warner Home Video. On March 23, 2005, it inked a deal with Blue Collar to release a gang of titles through Parallel Entertainment on home video. In 2006, Paramount started marketing titles on Blu-ray and HD DVD, but it went exclusively to the latter in 2007. In 2008, after HD DVD shut down, Paramount returned to making Blu-ray titles.

In 2008, PHE launched a direct-to-video label, Paramount Famous Productions (with the "Famous" part of the name a throwback to the days when the company was called Famous Players).

In 2011, due to a company restructure, PHE was renamed Paramount Home Media Distribution.

In October 2012, it was announced that PHMD and Warner Home Video had signed a distribution deal, allowing Warner to gain U.S. and Canadian DVD, Blu-ray, UltraViolet, Flixster, and DVD-manufacturing-on-demand distribution rights to over 600 Paramount titles. The deal came into effect as of January 1, 2013. The deal, however, has expired in January 2017 as evidenced by PHMD titles no longer appearing on Warner Home Video's web store. Distribution of the titles included in the Warner deal have since reverted to PHMD.

In 2013, PHMD joint ventured with 20th Century Home Entertainment to distribute home media releases in the Nordic region as the two studios were named as Fox-Paramount Home Entertainment. The venture ended in late 2016, when Fox started distributing their own releases and Paramount titles until June 1, 2020, when Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment started distributing Paramount material until July 2021.

In February 2015, PHMD signed a distribution agreement with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, whereby the latter will distribute the former's titles overseas, particularly the territories where PHMD holds an office. The deal began on July 1, 2015.

On May 27, 2015, IFC Films struck another home video distribution deal with PHMD.

In June 2016, PHMD started releasing Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, starting with the first two installments of the Star Trek reboot trilogy.

In May 2019, PHMD reverted its name back to Paramount Home Entertainment, which is the name they carried from 1999 to 2011.

After ViacomCBS purchased a 49% stake in Miramax on April 3, 2020, PHE acquired distribution rights to the entire Miramax library, as well as the pre-2005 Dimension Films library.

In July 2020, PHE signed a new UK home entertainment distribution deal with Elevation Sales (a joint venture between StudioCanal UK and Lionsgate UK), as well as signing other home entertainment distribution deals with Koch Media for Italy, Divisa Home Video for Spain, and Dutch FilmWorks for Benelux, all starting in January 2021.

In July 2021, PHE signed a deal with SF Studios, allowing them to distribute their content in the Scandinavian market, after they ended their deal with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

HD DVD and Blu-ray support

Paramount brands the majority of its HD content under the label 'Paramount High Definition' which is seen both on the title box cover and as an in-movie opening. Films from Paramount subsidiaries such as Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films as well as from former sister studio DreamWorks use no special branding, Paramount Vantage (another subsidiary) releases only select titles under the Paramount High Definition banner.

In October 2005, Paramount announced that it would be supporting the HD video format Blu-ray in addition to rival format HD DVD, becoming the first studio to release on both formats. Its first four HD DVD releases came in July 2006, and it released four titles on Blu-ray two months later. In August 2007, Paramount (along with DreamWorks and DreamWorks Animation) announced their exclusive support for HD DVD. However, when other studios eventually dropped HD DVD and players for the technology stopped being manufactured, Paramount switched to Blu-ray. In May 2008, it released three titles on Blu-ray and continues to release its high-definition discs in that format exclusively.

Sub-labels

Paramount Famous Productions

Paramount Famous Productions was a sub-label of PHE, handling films released exclusively to home video formats without a theatrical release. The label was closed in 2011.

Paramount DVD

Paramount DVD was a sub-label of PHE exclusively found on DVD releases, generally noted by a logo animation with a DVD flying into the Paramount mountain and taking the shape of the outline created by the mountain. The label was closed in 2019, as the parent company releases in DVD.

Paramount High Definition

Paramount High Definition was a sub-label focusing on home media releases of Paramount's film and television library in high definition video formats. The label was closed in 2019.