Braveworld


Braveworld Video was a UK video distribution company founded by ex-WEA Records and Warner Home Video Managing Director Mike Heap. It was originally established in March 1985, initially with sales and distribution through IVS Video UK.
After the IVS tie-up ended, the company became known as Braveworld Limited in approximately 1987.
Braveworld was owned by Prestwich Holdings, Plc.
Record label Legend Music Group was a misfired short-lived Braveworld side project, as was Sheer Entertainment.
Another of Prestwich Holdings's video companies was The Video Collection.
As such, Braveworld and The Video Collection were 'sister' labels, with Braveworld's original purpose to acquire and release cinema and rental titles, and Video Collection a retail feature film and special interest title distributor which relied heavily on re-releasing classic films.
Accordingly, many of Braveworld's titles were released on 'sell-through' video under the Video Collection name. Braveworld was eventually dissolved via a compulsory liquidation in 1999 after years of heavy losses; its final videos were released in mid-1994.
The Video Collection, however, lived on, to great success until it was unable to survive the Great Recession, which saw the UK high-street retailer Woolworths fall into administration.

Releases

Braveworld's major 1988 – 1991 rental titles which had received theatrical exploitation were distributed by Warner Home Video/MGM/UA and RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video. The MGM/UA collaboration began in 1990.
This era's practice of handing over rental distribution duties to a major studio also occurred with some of New World Video, Virgin Vision, Castle Pictures and Medusa Communications' titles was due to consolidation in the UK video industry, with the major studios gaining control of rental sales and distribution networks.
As independent labels were retreating and did not have the salesforce to distribute their larger titles to rental video shops across the UK, they agreed sales/distribution pacts with the studios for high-demand titles.

Selected Braveworld Video Releases