HOLLYWOOD, CA (October 4, 2012) – Paramount Home Media Distribution and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group today announced that they have reached a strategic alliance centering on more than 600 catalog titles from the Paramount film library. The deal grants Warner Bros. exclusive rights to physical Blu-ray and DVD distribution of those titles in the US and Canada, and will make Paramount’s UltraViolet offerings available on a non-exclusive basis through Flixster, the Warner Bros. movie streaming and discovery service.
The agreement also grants Warner Bros. manufacturing on demand rights and the right to include UltraViolet Digital Copy bundled with packaged media. Paramount will retain all digital rights for their titles, including electronic sell-through (EST), video-on-demand (VOD) and subscription video-on-demand. Flixster will offer, on a non-exclusive basis, Paramount titles for sale in UltraViolet EST format, UltraViolet Disc-to-Digital and VOD. Flixster will also act as an UltraViolet Locker Access Service Provider for all Paramount UltraViolet titles, and as a redemption site for Paramount UltraViolet Digital Copies.
The three-year deal, which takes effect January 1, 2013, covers U.S. and Canadian rights only and includes titles such as Terms of Endearment, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Airplane!. The agreement excludes approximately 100 cornerstone Paramount titles, including the Transformers, Star Trek and Indiana Jones franchises. Under the same terms, Warner will gain access to select new titles after the initial 26-week release period.
Paramount will receive licensing fees from Warner Bros. and be entitled to various benefits under a long-term strategic cooperation agreement with Flixster.



Does this mean Warner Brothers could, theoretically, package together a Superhero Combo release with their DC titles with Paramount-distributed “Iron Man”, “Iron Man 2″, “Captain America” and “Thor”?
That would be cool. In theory…
the press release suggests a hold back on some recent and large performing titles, which i would expect includes all the Marvel titles. So I doubt Warners could put out that combo pack.
That’s why I said theoretically. But you figure Paramount would include that ‘including Paramount-distributed titles from Marvel Studios’ statement in the press release.
Cool in theory, however in practice highly unlikely, since the Paramount-distributed films were produced by Marvel Studios and any future video reissues of those movies will probably now be handled by Walt Disney Home Entertainment, in the same way The Avengers currently is.
I don’t think Paramount and Universal sold Disney the distribution rights to those movie, just licensed them for the box set.
It really isn’t that surprising that Paramount was looking for someone to distribute their catalog. They have been ineffective for several years now (since the days of Meagan Burrows). Sorry to see the lights slowly beginning turned off at the once-powerful Paramount Home Entertainment. On the upside, Warners will do a terrific job. They know how to market and sell catalog.
I guess this means no more stupid “edition” names.
Burrows was a real player with real abilities. Reinhard is just a Moore sock puppet.
This development could be a big boon for horror fans as it would probably allow an Ultimate “Friday the 13th” Blu-Ray box set, combining the first 8 Paramount films with the latter 2 sequels, Freddy vs. Jason and the 2009 Platinum Dunes reboot, which are released by Warner-controlled New Line.
This is strange. Paramount just licensed a ton of stuff to Olive Films, and Warners already has more titles in its own library than it can handle. Who benefits?
Warner actually owns the rights to 4 Friday The 13th films.
I’m shocked. Clearly the leadership at p-mount could careless about their own catalog and are essentially telling their employees they are incapable of doing an effective job. So how long until we hear about layoffs? If I worked there I’d be upset at the piss-poor management that is driving this former powerhouse studio into the ground. Bet they will all get great bonuses whiles many others will get pink slips for Xmas. Sad and shocked!!!
So Paramount barely seem to be making films at all anymore and now they are having Warners distribute a chunk of their catalog for them?
Just five years ago this would have seemed unthinkable and now here we are. Just imagine what the next five years will bring.
Universal is doing a horrible job distributing the Paramount classics catalog. At least Warner Archive and Olive films care about marketing and distribution…along with TCM hope to see all of the Paramount 30s and 40s released on DVD even if it is MOD discs
I just hope all the early Paramount discs are remastered with better picture and sound. I would love to have a copy of Sleepy Hollow with a remastered 1080p picture from the print and not a DVD upgrade with lossy sound. Really want to hear the great score and atmosphere with a 7.1 DTS-HD MA audio. Would be great!