CIC Video
CIC Video was a home video distributor, established in 1980, owned by Cinema International Corporation, and operated in some countries by local operators. Outside of North America, it distributed films by Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures, CIC's partners. DreamWorks films were added to the company output in 1998, as the fledgling studio that had a worldwide video distribution deal with Universal.
History
When the distributor appointed Karl Oliver from Brooke Bond Batchelors to be its sales and marketing director in 1991, they wanted him to introduce "classic FMCG disciplines" to its marketing campaign. Oliver responded by reducing video cassette prices to and promote impulse purchasing as part of CIC Video's reformed distribution strategy. 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. In 1994, Viacom purchased Paramount Pictures, enabling CIC Video to gain international distribution rights to shows from, amongst other networks, MTV and Nickelodeon, 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 purchased PolyGram Filmed Entertainment's video division which was then promptly renamed as Universal Pictures Video. Paramount, meanwhile, would gain full control of CIC Video, which was then renamed Paramount Home Entertainment International. The last videos 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.
CIC Video was operated in Australia by the Taft-Hardie joint venture, and also distributed some Southern Star and Hanna-Barbera product under other labels. The Hanna-Barbera library is now handled usually by Warner Home Video. The label's defunct subsidiary was a distributor called Rigby-CIC Video and CIC-Taft's label manufacturer was Roadshow Home Video.
In several countries, CIC Video was operated by other companies, such as in Sweden it was operated by Esselte Video, in Mexico it was operated by VideoVisa and in Chile it was operated by Video Chile.