Lionsgate Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Lionsgate.
Background
Before LGHE was formed, the company's video releases were distributed by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. Lionsgate Films decided to create two home video labels: Avalanche Home Entertainment, which released smaller Canadian B-movies on video and DVD; and Sterling Home Entertainment, which released American low-budget movies on video and DVD in the late 1990s. In June 2000, Lionsgate purchased Trimark Pictures and its in-house home video unit. These three companies: Avalanche, Sterling, and Trimark Home Video were merged into Lions Gate Home Entertainment in 2001. In 2003, Lionsgate acquired Artisan Entertainment, thus expanding Lionsgate's home video library. Its library of more than 8,000 films owes some of its size to output deals with other studios. Mainly concerned with the distribution of the Lions Gate film library, it also distributes Mattel's Barbie-branded videos, as well as Clifford the Big Red Dog videos from Scholastic, Stickin' Around videos from Nelvana, and MGA Entertainment,. Lionsgate Home Entertainment also previously distributed videos from HIT Entertainment and Jim Henson Home Entertainment until 2012 and 2014 respectively when the studios made new deals with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment. In 2001, in Quebec it was renamed Crystal Films, and in Ontario and other provinces, Maple Pictures. In August 2001, Lions Gate Home Entertainment signed a deal with DIC Entertainment to distribute their back catalogue of animated titles on video and DVD in the United States, replacing DIC's long time partner Buena Vista Home Entertainment.. The partnership only lasted a year, as in 2003 DIC started to distribute their shows through the Sterling Entertainment Group and later other distribution companies like Shout! Factory, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and NCircle Entertainment. Lionsgate's movies are released on DVD and Blu-ray as well as on the PSP through Universal Media Disc. Since 2012, LGHE started distributing Summit Entertainment releases as a result of Lionsgate acquiring that company. On August 4, 2008, Lionsgate announced that it had completed a deal with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment to acquire the distribution rights to several ABC Studios/Touchstone Television shows including According to Jim, Reaper, Hope & Faith, 8 Simple Rules and Boy Meets World. Until 2012, Lionsgate also distributed most of the theatrical properties held by Republic Pictures on DVD under license from Paramount Pictures. The deal also expanded to include some non-marquee films originally released by Paramount themselves. Recently, with the folding of Republic, Lionsgate's function was transferred to Olive Films. On February 11, 2011, Lionsgate and StudioCanal made an agreement to release 550 titles from the Miramax film library worldwide. Following ViacomCBS' acquisition of a 49% stake in Miramax, Paramount Home Media Distribution took over the home media rights to the Miramax catalog. On December 8, 2016, Lionsgate acquired Starz Inc. making Lionsgate the parent company of the North American branches of Anchor Bay Entertainment and Manga Entertainment. The former was folded into Lionsgate Home Entertainment shortly after the buyout and the latter is planned to be relaunched in the near future.
