 | |
| Company type | Label |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980; 45 years ago (1980) |
| Defunct | 1999; 26 years ago (1999) |
| Fate | Dissolved and renamedParamount Home Entertainment International Universal titles now going throughUniversal Pictures Video |
| Successor | Paramount Home Entertainment International Universal Pictures Video |
| Products | Home video |
| Parent | Cinema International Corporation (1980–1981) United International Pictures (1981–1999) |
| Divisions | CIC-Taft Home Video |
CIC Video was ahome video distributor, established in 1980, owned byCinema International Corporation (the forerunner ofUnited International Pictures), and operated in some countries (such asUnited Kingdom,Australia,Brazil,Japan,France,Germany,Hungary,Italy,Mexico,Netherlands,Belgium,Spain,Portugal,Norway,Sweden,Denmark,Poland,South Korea,Turkey,Argentina,Colombia,Philippines,Chile andVenezuela) by local operators. Outside in North America, it distributed films byUniversal Pictures (now owned byNBCUniversal/Comcast) andParamount Pictures (now owned byParamount Global, which is owned byNational Amusements), CIC's partners.DreamWorks films (throughDreamWorks Home Entertainment) were added to the company output in 1998, as the fledgling studio that had a worldwide video distribution deal with Universal.
When the distributor appointed Karl Oliver from Brooke Bond Batchelors to be its sales and marketing director in 1991, they wanted him to introduce "classicFMCG disciplines" to its marketing campaign. Oliver responded by reducing video cassette prices to and promoteimpulse purchasing as part of CIC Video's reformed distribution strategy.[1] After the sudden death of CIC Video's president Roy Featherstone of an asthma attack on 17 July 1992 the distributor underwent restructuring with aid from senior Universal and Paramount employees.[2] In 1994, Viacom purchased Paramount Pictures, enabling CIC Video to gain international distribution rights to shows from, amongst other networks,MTV andNickelodeon, which came into effect in Australia in 1995 and the UK and other countries in early 1996.
In 1999, CIC Video was dissolved when Universal pulled out in favour of its then-newly purchasedPolyGram Filmed Entertainment's video division (PolyGram Video) which was then promptly renamed asUniversal Pictures Video. Paramount meanwhile, would gain full control of CIC Video, which was then renamedParamount Home Entertainment International.[3] The last videos and first and only DVDs with the CIC label were released within the same year. Meanwhile, the distributor signed sales and distribution contracts with local market producers in Europe to increase profit and the brand name of CIC Video remained in the short term in markets where Paramount Home Entertainment were absent.[4]
CIC Video was operated inAustralia (where it was known asCIC-Taft Home Video) by theTaft-Hardie joint venture (nowSouthern Star Group), and also distributed some Southern Star andHanna-Barbera product under other labels. The Hanna-Barbera library is now handled usually byWarner Home Video. The label's defunct subsidiary was a distributor calledRigby-CIC Video and CIC-Taft's label manufacturer wasRoadshow Home Video.
In several countries, CIC Video was operated by other companies, such as inSweden it was operated by Esselte Video,[5] inMexico it was operated by VideoVisa[6] and inChile it was operated by Video Chile.[7]
