Communications and Entertainment Limited
Encyclopedia
Communications and Entertainment Limited (CEL) was an Australia
n home video
cassette distributor in the 1980s. They were originally known as Publishing and Broadcasting Video (unrelated to Publishing and Broadcasting Limited
).
, MGM/UA Home Entertainment, Muppet Home Video
, Star Video (featuring low-budget films from around the world), Australian Video (featuring films from the South Australian Film Corporation
), Film World Festival (like Star Video, but better-budget releases), The Storytime Collection (released children's videos of TV and movie versions of famous storybook characters), and Playaround Video (released low-budget horror film
s, and a few videos of rock (mostly heavy metal
concerts).
By the time PBV had become CEL, many of the labels were discontinued, or moved to another company (MGM/UA's releases were through Warner Home Video
). CEL's labels included the aforementioned Muppet Home Video, and Thames Video
(although this appears to be non-exclusive; some of Thames' video releases were through ABC Video and Festival Video). CEL also released RCA-Columbia Pictures Home Video
releases prior to the joint venture with Hoyts
.
CEL had also bought Sundowner Film and Video Productions Pty Ltd. The company was publicly listed on the Australian Stock Exchange
, but was delisted in 1989 for failing to pay annual fees to the ASX. The company continued for a few years until 1999, when it filed for bankruptcy.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
cassette distributor in the 1980s. They were originally known as Publishing and Broadcasting Video (unrelated to Publishing and Broadcasting Limited
Publishing and Broadcasting Limited
Publishing and Broadcasting Limited was one of Australia's largest companies, with interests primarily in media and gaming. The company demerged in late 2007, spinning out its gaming interests into Crown Limited...
).
History
PBV's labels included: Embassy Home EntertainmentEmbassy Pictures
Embassy Pictures Corporation was an independent studio and distributor responsible for such films as The Graduate, The Lion in Winter, This Is Spinal Tap and Escape from New York.-Founding:The company was founded in 1942 by producer Joseph E...
, MGM/UA Home Entertainment, Muppet Home Video
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
, Star Video (featuring low-budget films from around the world), Australian Video (featuring films from the South Australian Film Corporation
South Australian Film Corporation
South Australian Film Corporation is a South Australian Government statutory corporation established in 1972. Former State Premier Don Dunstan played an instrumental role in the foundation of the Corporation and its early film production activities....
), Film World Festival (like Star Video, but better-budget releases), The Storytime Collection (released children's videos of TV and movie versions of famous storybook characters), and Playaround Video (released low-budget horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
s, and a few videos of rock (mostly heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
concerts).
By the time PBV had become CEL, many of the labels were discontinued, or moved to another company (MGM/UA's releases were through Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
). CEL's labels included the aforementioned Muppet Home Video, and Thames Video
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
(although this appears to be non-exclusive; some of Thames' video releases were through ABC Video and Festival Video). CEL also released RCA-Columbia Pictures Home Video
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
releases prior to the joint venture with Hoyts
Hoyts
The Hoyts Group is an Australian company consisting of Hoyts Exhibition, Hoyts Distribution and Val Morgan.Hoyts Exhibition manages 450 screens across 40 Australian and 10 New Zealand cinema complexes; making it Australia's second largest cinema chain. Val Morgan, the cinema advertising arm of the...
.
CEL had also bought Sundowner Film and Video Productions Pty Ltd. The company was publicly listed on the Australian Stock Exchange
Australian Stock Exchange
The Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
, but was delisted in 1989 for failing to pay annual fees to the ASX. The company continued for a few years until 1999, when it filed for bankruptcy.