Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
Echo Bridge Entertainment is an American independent distribution company. It acquires and distributes feature films, scripted and non-scripted series, documentaries, and children’s programming for home video, digital and television in the United States and throughout the world. Since its acquisition of Alliance Atlantis International Distribution and recent distribution partnerships with Miramax[1] and ABC Disney/Buena Vista, Echo Bridge Entertainment had a combined portfolio of over 11,000 titles, including Degrassi: The Next Generation (a co-production with DHX Media's Epitome Pictures), until DHX Media acquired the library in November 2014.
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| Type | Video, Digital, Television Distribution |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Alliance Atlantis (Television distribution assets) |
| Founded | 1995 (as Platinum Disc Corporation) 2005 (as Echo Bridge Home Entertainment) |
| Headquarters | La Crosse, Wisconsin (Home Entertainment), White Plains, New York (International Sales), Needham, Massachusetts (Headquarters), Beverly Hills, California (Acquisitions) |
Area served | International |
Key people | Michael Rosenblatt, CEO; Nathan Hart, President (Home Entertainment); Emilia Nuccio, President (International) |
| Parent | DHX Media (2014-present) |
| Subsidiaries | Alliance Atlantis International Distribution PM Entertainment |
| Website | www |
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| 1968 | FilmFair is founded |
|---|---|
| 1971 | DIC Audiovisuel is founded |
| 1974 | CPLG is founded |
| 1976 | CINAR and Colossal Pictures are founded |
| 1982 | DIC Enterprises is founded |
| 1984 | Ragdoll Productions is founded |
| 1987 | DIC Audiovisuel closes |
| 1988 | Studio B Productions is founded |
| 1992 | Epitome Pictures is founded |
| 1993 | DIC Enterprises becomes DIC Entertainment |
| 1994 | Wild Brain and Red Rover Studios are founded |
| 1995 | Platinum Disc Corporation is founded |
| 1996 | CINAR buys FilmFair's library |
| 1997 | Decode Entertainment is founded |
| 1999 | Wild Brain absorbs Colossal Pictures' employees |
| 2002 | Nerd Corps Entertainment is founded |
| 2004 | Halifax Film Company is founded and CINAR rebrands as Cookie Jar Group |
| 2005 | Platinum Disc Corporation rebrands as Echo Bridge Home Entertainment |
| 2006 | Decode and Halifax Film merge as DHX Media, DIC acquires CPLG, and Ragdoll Worldwide is formed with BBC Worldwide |
| 2007 | DHX Media buys Studio B Productions and Wild Brain becomes Wildbrain Entertainment |
| 2008 | Cookie Jar Group absorbs DIC and House of Cool absorbs Red Rover Studios |
| 2010 | DHX Media buys Wildbrain Entertainment |
| 2011 | Decode Entertainment closes |
| 2012 | DHX Media buys Cookie Jar Group |
| 2013 | DHX Media buys Ragdoll Worldwide |
| 2014 | DHX Media buys Epitome Pictures, Nerd Corps, and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment and Cookie Jar Group is absorbed |
| 2016 | The WildBrain multi-channel network launches and Studio B and Nerd Corps merge as DHX Studios |
| 2017 | Wildbrain Entertainment closes and DHX Media buys Peanuts Worldwide and Strawberry Shortcake |
| 2018 | Halifax Film becomes Island of Misfits |
| 2019 | DHX Media rebrands as WildBrain, Epitome Pictures closes, and the WildBrain MCN becomes WildBrain Spark |
| 2020 | CPLG becomes WildBrain CPLG |
| 2023 | WildBrain acquires House of Cool and Pornhub |
History
Echo Bridge Home Entertainment, a division of Echo Bridge Entertainment, was founded in 1995 as Platinum Disc Corporation. It was named and had its logo inspired from the real Echo Bridge in Massachusetts. In 2002, Platinum acquired PM Entertainment from The Harvey Entertainment Group. In 2005, Platinum Disc Corporation and Echo Bridge Entertainment merged to form Echo Bridge Home Entertainment.[2] In 2008, Echo Bridge acquired Alliance Atlantis International Distribution.[3] In 2011, Echo Bridge Entertainment and Miramax have made a distribution deal in which Echo Bridge will release 251 movies from the Miramax catalog, with the other 550 going to Lionsgate and StudioCanal as Miramax has a similar distribution deal with them. On March 17, 2014, after Echo Bridge lost the distribution rights to the Miramax titles, the Miramax releases all went out of print and any mention of them was removed from their website. Lionsgate later expanded their deal with Miramax to include the 251 movies previously released by Echo Bridge until 2020, when Paramount Home Entertainment (which parent company acquired a 49% stake of Miramax in 2019) extended their own deal with Miramax to include those 251 movies. In 2014, Echo Bridge sold its family library to DHX Media.[4]
In January 2017, filmmaker and producer Steven Paul purchased Echo Bridge.[5]
References
- "Echo Bridge And Miramax Enter Into Distribution Partnership". Miramax. February 17, 2011. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- "Echo Bridge Entertainment Merges With Leading Home Entertainment Distributor, Platinum Disc Corporation". Echo Bridge Entertainment. July 5, 2005. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
- "Echo Bridge to acquire Alliance Atlantis International Distribution". April 7, 2008. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
- DHX Media acquires library of children's and family TV content
- "Producer Steven Paul Buys Distributor Echo Bridge".