 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
 Logo used since 2023 | |
| Shout! Studios | |
| Formerly |
|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | April 19, 2002; 23 years ago (April 19, 2002) |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
Key people | |
| Products |
|
| Brands |
|
| Parent | Radial Entertainment (2025–present)[1] |
| Divisions |
|
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | www |
Shout! Factory, LLC,doing business asShout! Studios (formerly doing business asShout! Factory, its current legal name), is an Americanhome video and music distributor founded in 2002 asRetropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued inDVD orBlu-ray format, include previously released feature films, vintage and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy specials. Considered aboutique Blu-ray label,[2][3] Shout! Studios, in addition to its mainline home video releases, also releases films under the sub-labels Scream (forhorror film releases), Shout! Select, and Shout! Kids.
Shout! Studios owns and operates Westchester Films, Timeless Media Group,Biograph Records,Majordomo Records,Gravitas Ventures and Video Time Machine.
Their releases are currently distributed byStudio Distribution Services, a joint venture betweenUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment andWarner Bros. Home Entertainment, via a distribution deal with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment since mid-2010s.
Retropolis Entertainment was founded in April 2002 by Bob Emmer, Garson Foos, and Richard Foos, three principals fromRhino Records,[4] as the company was negotiating with the five majors for distribution. After selling Rhino toWarner Music Group in 1998, the three set out to launch a new retro pop culture label.[5] The company's first product wasRed, White & Rock, a 2002 joint release withPBS stationWQED-TV that was produced withWarner Strategic Marketing.[6] In August 2002, Retropolis acquiredBiograph Records.[7] Other early releases included blues and jazz CDs from the Biograph label, aFats Domino CD and DVD,[8] and several documentaries (Superstar: The Life And Times ofAndy Warhol,What Happened To Kerouac?).[citation needed] Retropolis was renamed Shout! Factory in April 2003. At that time, Shout had signed a press and distribution agreement withSony Music Entertainment.[9] In 2004, Shout! releasedFreaks and Geeks on DVD, the first television series released on DVD for the company. With 18 episodes, it became one of the most expensive DVDs to produce, costing over a million dollars in music licensing.[10][11] That same year, they released William Shatner's albumHas Been andSCTV box sets.[12]
In 2004, Shout! released an expanded two-disc version ofJim Croce's first record,Facets.[13] In 2004, Shout! purchased the rights to the adult animated seriesHome Movies and released each season set, and ultimately a complete series box.[14] Other notable releases included a pair ofThe Electric Company multi-disc sets,[15] the re-envisionedHerb Alpert'sWhipped Cream & Other Delights Rewhipped,[citation needed] a series ofElvira's Movie Macabre DVDs[16] and the first of what would be three cover CDs withMatthew Sweet andSusanna Hoffs, calledUnder The Covers Vol. 1; Sweet himself was also added as a featured solo artist.[17] Shout! acquired the rights to several other television series includingPunky Brewster,[18]The Weird Al Show,[19] andAmerica's Funniest Home Videos.[20]
In 2005, Shout! Factory obtained the rights to Herb Alpert's catalog, launching the Herb Alpert Signature Series of CDs. These includedThe Lonely Bull,South of the Border,Lost Treasures,Whipped Cream & Other Delights and others.[21] They also got the rights to talk show hostDick Cavett's library and began releasing theme sets focused on rock icons,Ray Charles (including all his visits to the show),[22]John Lennon (The Beatles) andYoko Ono,[23] and others.[24] They also jumped into children's animation with a deal withDIC Entertainment.C.O.P.S. The Animated Series andHeathcliff And the Catillac Cats were the first releases from that deal.[25] On the sports side, they entered a licensing deal withMajor League Baseball, releasing themed andWorld Series DVDs through 2010 and then again from 2016 till present.[26]
By 2007, vintage TV on DVD was a major focus, with season sets ofBlossom[27]McHale's Navy[28] andIronside,[29] an authorized collection ofThe Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,[30] and themed and actor-specific editions ofInside the Actors Studio hitting shelves.[31] Meanwhile, they also began releasingMickey Hart's catalogs.[32]
In March 2008, Shout! bought theHightone Records catalog and added musical artistsTom Russell,Joe Ely, andRosie Flores to its brand.[33] At the same time, the company was ramping up its place as a children's animation destination and continuing with a TV on DVD schedule.[citation needed] It took over theMystery Science Theater 3000 DVD series and released a 20th anniversary set and have continued to put out box sets of episodes never before released on DVD.[34]
In 2009, Shout! reached another milestone when it struck a deal with toy/board game companyHasbro, releasing the originalTransformers andG.I. Joe animated-series box sets. That same year, it released the firstMy Little Pony DVD,My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Collection.[35] Shout! continued to release several Hasbro properties, including the seriesMy Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, until January 1, 2019, when it released its final DVD for that series,Hearts and Hooves.
In 2011, Shout! Factory made another landmark deal when they struck a deal with Viacom-ownedNickelodeon to release the live-action sitcomHey Dude[36] and the animated Nicktoons:Rocko's Modern Life,[37]Aaahh!!! Real Monsters,[38]Hey Arnold!,[39]The Angry Beavers,[40]CatDog,[41]The Wild Thornberrys,[42]The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius,[43] andDanny Phantom.[44]
In May 2012, Shout! Factory signed an agreement withSaban Brands to distribute theBeetleborgs,Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation,Power Rangers andVR Troopers catalogs in North America.[45] It also began releasing titles by Disney-owned Marvel (Super Hero Squad Show,Marvel Knights).[citation needed] In the same month, the company acquired Oregon-based home entertainment companyTimeless Media Group, adding more programs to its expanding catalog, such asThe Red Skelton Show,Peter Gunn,The Gene Autry Show,The Virginian,Wagon Train,Laramie, andThe Roy Rogers Show, among others.[46]
In June 2012, Shout! Factory announced a horror label called Scream Factory, specializing in classic and cult horror films on discs such asHalloween II,Halloween III: Season of the Witch,They Live,The Howling,Lifeforce,Deadly Eyes, and others.[47] The horror titles, both new and old, were licensed from major studios such asMGM,Fox, andUniversal.[citation needed] In mid-June 2012, Shout! and Frederator founderFred Seibert acquired Video Time Machine, a decade and genre media-based iOS app, from Original Victories Inc.[48]
In July 2013, Shout! Factory acquired the North American distribution rights to theITC Entertainment library as part of a deal with UK-basedITV Studios Global Entertainment.[49][50]
In 2014, the success Shout! was having with complete-series box sets of such series asAll in the Family,[51]Route 66,[52] andBarney Miller[53] extended to such properties asThe Bob Newhart Show,[54]Hill Street Blues,[55] and a Blu-Ray release ofPee-Wee's Playhouse[56] andThe Jeffersons.[57] In 2014, Shout! announced their acquisition of the rights toWKRP in Cincinnati,[58] with the intention of restoring all four seasons of the show "complete" (i.e. complete as legally possible) with their original musical scores.[59] The 2014 release was a monumental event for fans of the show since the original DVD release in 2007 had been mired in squabbles regarding music rights.[60] In September 2014, Shout! acquired Westchester Films, an independent film company whose library includes the films ofAlfred Hitchcock,John Ford, theMarx Brothers, andOrson Welles, as well as eightGodzilla films, among others.[61] That same year, Shout! became the distributor ofSuper Sentai in North America.[62] In 2015, Shout! releasedKyōryū Sentai Zyuranger under the nameSuper Sentai Zyuranger: The Complete Series with English subtitles.[63][64]
IFC Midnight partnered with Scream Factory in February 2015 for exclusive home distribution, starting withThe Babadook.[65] On February 5, 2015, Shout! Factory launched its flagship TV ad-supported streaming services online and via Roku. Available shows and movies included 16Werner Herzog films,Roger Corman cult films and TV shows includingFather Knows Best andIt's Garry Shandling's Show.[66] In June,Cinedigm took a minority stake in the company, while extending their home entertainment platform distribution agreement. Cinedigm and Shout would then relaunch the Factory's streaming service and cross market each others' streaming services.[67]
In November 2015, Shout! announced it had acquired the rights toMystery Science Theater 3000 fromBest Brains Inc. and launched a "Bring Back MST3K"Kickstarter with the goal of producing up to 12 new feature-length episodes of the series, with series creatorJoel Hodgson serving as executive producer.[68] In January 2016,Concord Bicycle Music bought the HighTone catalog from the company.[69] The same year, Shout! Factory releasedThe Crush under subsidiary brand Scream Factory[70] andLong Way North.[71]
The following year, Shout! (via its Westchester Films division) acquired the domestic rights to the entire library ofMorgan Creek Productions (with the exception of the originalYoung Guns, which is still owned byLionsgate, successor to the film's international distributor,Vestron Pictures).[citation needed]
On January 10, 2017, Shout Factory acquired the worldwide television format and ancillary rights toStarcade with plans to reboot the series.[72] On January 17, Shout! Factory announced their acquisition of the broadcast and home media distribution rights for the first threeDigimon Adventure tri. films with plans for a dual-language release on DVD and Blu-ray.[73] On May 18, Shout! Factory acquired the North American distribution rights toIn This Corner of the World, with aU.S. theatrical release to take place on August 11, co-released byFunimation Films.[74] In October, it was revealed that Shout! Factory would be the distributor forGKIDS' re-releases ofStudio Ghibli films formerly owned by Disney in the US (although Disney has the Asiatic (including Japan/China/Taiwan) distribution rights themselves, thus replacing the titles' original Japanese theatrical distributors such asToho,Toei andShochiku);[75][76] afterwards, Shout! began distributing other GKIDS films.
On November 13, 2017, Shout! Factory announced the formation of Shout! Studios, a production and distribution arm that specializes in content development.[77] The first films to be distributed under the new banner includeHumor Me,Big Fish & Begonia (partnering with Funimation Films again for theatrical distribution[78])The House of Tomorrow, andBasmati Blues, all slated for a 2018 premiere. In addition to film projects, Shout! Studios will also develop original television productions.
In March 2018, Shout! Factory acquired theNew Horizons film library from its founderRoger Corman; Shout! will distribute this catalog in North America, Europe, and Australia.[79] Shout! also expanded its North American distribution deal with ITV Studios Global Entertainment to cover over 135 films and TV series from ITV's library, with the exception of select titles thatFilmRise distributed for streaming media, includingHell's Kitchen.[80] In August, Shout! struck a deal withSesame Workshop to distribute theSesame Street home video library, taking over fromWarner Bros. Home Entertainment.[81]
In February 2021, Shout! Factory made a deal with the animation studioLaika to release their films on home media in the United States. This deal includes Laika's first four films, originally released byFocus Features, as well as new bonus material and packaging for each release.[82]
In February 2022, Shout! Factory acquired the American distribution rights to the TV seriesALF, including itsanimated prequel series and its spin-offALF Tales from Alien Productions andLionsgate.[83]
On August 9, 2022, Shout! Factory signed a worldwide distribution deal withThe Jim Henson Company to bring thirteen of Henson's programs and specials to home entertainment and streaming platforms in all territories, includingFarscape andThe Storyteller.[84] A similar worldwide distribution agreement with Henson went into effect on January 1, 2024 for streaming, video-on-demand, broadcast, digital download, packaged media and certain non-theatrical rights for the filmsLabyrinth andThe Dark Crystal, as well as behind-the-scenes specials:Inside the Labyrinth andThe World of the Dark Crystal.[85]
Shout! Factory obtained digital distribution and streaming rights to 189 titles from theHalcyon Studios division ofChicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment on March 27, 2023.[86] On July 6, 2023, Shout! Factory announced that it had signed a North American distribution deal withAardman Animations covering four of Aardman's properties:Morph,Wallace and Gromit (exceptThe Curse of the Were-Rabbit),Shaun the Sheep andTimmy Time.[87] Eight days later, the company announced its rebranding to Shout! Studios to match with its film distribution division.[88] On May 2, 2024, Shout! Studios took over the U.S. distribution rights toTatsunoko Production's 1967 animeSpeed Racer fromCrunchyroll, which began with the digital release of the original television series of the same name and its Japanese-language version on June 1 of that year.[89]
In October 2024, Shout! Studios announced a multi-title distribution deal withNash Entertainment to bring its library of unscripted shows to streaming and other platforms worldwide.[90]
In April 2025, Shout! Studios acquiredGravitas Ventures fromAnthem Sports & Entertainment, planning to use the company as a separate banner along with the main Shout! brand.[91]
In July 2025, Shout! Studios' parent companyOaktree Capital Management acquiredFilmRise, and merged them into a holding company named Radial Entertainment.[92]
In November 2025, it was announced that Shout! Factory's 4K and Blu-ray releases, including its Scream Factory horror catalog, would be available through GRUV Entertainment's GRUV.com moving forward, after ShoutFactory.com discontinued its standalone site.[93]
In 2026, is was announced that Shout! Studios' DVD and Blu-ray new releases on Dhar Mann Studios, and Shout! Kids 4K inFly Away Home andCanvas.
As of 2024[update], Shout! Factory has agreements with companies (American and foreign):Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment,Paramount Home Entertainment,Universal Pictures Home Entertainment,MGM Home Entertainment,Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, WildBrain Limited, Corus Entertainment,Hasbro Entertainment,GKIDS,BBC Studios,Eleven Arts,Sesame Workshop,IFC Films,ITV Studios,Major League Baseball,Motion Picture Corporation of America, the estate ofStephen J. Cannell,[94]The Jim Henson Company, Alien Productions, Library Rights Company (UK), Ltd., the Zelus Film Holding Company (including theIntermedia andLargo Entertainment libraries),[95] Satellite of Love,StudioCanal,Joe Camp,Toei Animation,Toei Company,Laika,Aardman Animations andTatsunoko Production.
Releases under these agreements have included the completeJoss Whedon/John Cassaday series ofAstonishing X-Men, plusThor & Loki: Blood Brothers andIron Man: Extremis on DVD and Blu-ray;[96] the originalTransformers,G.I. Joe,Jem andMy Little Pony cartoons,My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic,Power Rangers,VR Troopers,Sesame Street,Super Sentai,Kamen Rider, some Nickelodeon series such asRocko's Modern Life,Hey Arnold!,The Wild Thornberrys,CatDog,Danny Phantom,Hey Dude,The Angry Beavers,Aaahh!!! Real Monsters,The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius (under license fromParamount Home Entertainment), some Joe Camp inBenji: Ultimate Collection (under license fromMulberry Square Productions),The Magic Snowflake (under license fromLionsgate Home Entertainment in 77-minute format), andGravity Falls (under license fromWalt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in one at a time).
In mid-2012, Shout! Factory announced a horror sub-label called Scream Factory, specializing in vintage and cult horror films.[97] The company announced its first slate of releases in May 2017, which includedHalloween II,Halloween III: Season of the Witch,They Live,Terror Train,The Island, and others being released to DVD and Blu-ray.[98][99] Other notable releases have includedThe Howling,[100]The Return of the Living Dead,[101] andEvil Dead,[102] which all came as 4K steelbook editions.
In July 2020, Shout! Factory announced a multi-year deal with Alliance Entertainment and Mill Creek Entertainment, which granted the exclusive SVOD and AVOD digital rights to theUltra series, 1,100 episodes and 20 films previously acquired by Mill Creek. Shout! Factory will stream the catalog in North American countries (United States and Canada) through their services, Shout! TV and TokuSHOUTsu.[103]
In 2012, Shout! Factory acquired Oregon-based home entertainment companyTimeless Media Group. This added several TV programs to its ever-expanding catalog, includingThe Red Skelton Show,Peter Gunn,The Gene Autry Show,The Virginian,Wagon Train, andLaramie, along with theRoy Rogers:King of the Cowboys movie collection, over 50 documentaries, and others.[104]
Shout! Factory also acquired blues/roots labelHighTone Records in 2008[105] and continued to oversee its back catalog until 2016 whenConcord Bicycle Music bought the label.[106]
| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
