This list article details programming libraries produced and/or distributed by the divisions and subsidiaries of BVS Entertainment, formerly Saban Entertainment, a currently-dormant subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company, whose rights are managed with a few exceptions under its sub-division ABC Family Worldwide and distributed by Disney Platform Distribution.
BVS Entertainment
Between 1980 and 2001, the company produced and distributed animated programs through two branches; Saban Entertainment and Saban International Paris. while the production and distribution of live-action TV shows and movies was carried out through three separate branches; Saban Entertainment, Saban/Sherick Productions and Libra Pictures, targeting different audiences, especially adults.
As a result of acquisitions, agreements and partnerships made during its period of operations, Saban Entertainment acquired some ownership, distribution or intellectual property rights to animation libraries such as Fox Children's Productions, New World Animation/Marvel Productions, DIC Entertainment, Créativité et Développement, and DePatie–Freleng Enterprises. Saban began exclusively producing content for News Corporation's Fox Kids and Fox Family networks in 1998 and took over the global distribution of Fox Kids' pre-existing library. In addition, the company and its subsidiaries have collaborated with Canadian animation company CinéGroupe and European TV networks in the joint production of animated series. It has been involved in the co-production and distribution of animated series based on pre-existing characters and IPs from Marvel Comics and European comic book publishers, while cooperation was made when producing live-action programs with other U.S./Canadian production companies such as Shavick Entertainment and O'Hara-Horowitz Productions on films for television or the direct-to video market. In 2001, Disney terminated the operations of Saban/Sherick Productions and Libra Pictures after purchasing the company and its units. Following a series of re-brandings, the parent company BVS Entertainment (formerly Saban Entertainment) continued to produce the Power Rangers franchise, while SIP Animation (formerly Saban International Paris) continued to produce animation in collaboration with Fox Kids Europe/Jetix Europe for broadcast on Fox Kids and Jetix international networks. Following the acquisition in 2001, Buena Vista International Television took over the company's entire library and distribution network and continued distributing BVS shows until the shows were mostly vaulted by Disney in the late 2000s and BVS went dormant.
The company's main U.S. unit produced television shows as Saban Entertainment until the last quarter of 2001, when program production continued in a more limited manner as BVS Entertainment. However, the BVS corporate umbrella also remained the parent company, holding the company's subsidiaries, even though shows produced or distributed by subsidiaries of the company are not credited to BVS' name.
When the company was named Saban International Paris, some of their shows featured the "Saban's" corporate bug in their title although Saban Entertainment itself is not listed. BVS Entertainment was not credited in SIP Animation shows produced after 2002 but BVS International N.V. remained the respective owner of the rights to the SIP Animation name, brand, logo and trademark after 2002.[7]
The company also produced and/or distributed the following live action and animated films. Many of Saban Entertainment's television and direct-to video movies targeted older audiences.
Saban Entertainment
Live-action films
Alphy's Hollywood Power Party (1987; TV special)
Rescue Me (1988)
Who Murdered JFK? (1988; TV special) (co-production with Barbour/Langley Productions)
Terrorism USA (1989; TV special) (co-production with Barbour/Langley Productions)
A Perfect Little Murder (1990) (co-production with MollyBen Productions for Gary Hoffman Productions)
Panic in the Skies! (1996) (co-produced with MTM Enterprises in associstion with Regent Entertainment, Rosner Television, Shavick Entertainment and International Family Entertainment Inc.)
These programs were distributed by Saban Entertainment beginning in 1996, when Saban merged with Fox Children's Network to form Fox Kids Worldwide.[11] Due to this partnership, the New World Animation assets purchased by Fox were transferred to Saban Entertainment.[12] After Disney's purchase of Fox Kids Worldwide in 2001, the shows moved to the Buena Vista International Television catalogue.[13] Although Disney held some rights to Marvel-related animated series through BVS Entertainment[14][15] before Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment, copyrights to shows based on Marvel Comics characters were not directly owned by BVS Entertainment.[16] The remaining rights to these Marvel-branded shows were completely transferred to Marvel Entertainment with Disney's acquisition of Marvel in 2009. Disney gained further rights to the New World Animation/Marvel Productions library following its acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019.[17][18]
In December 1995, Saban International N.V. purchased from Vesical Limited its interest and international rights to certain television programs originally produced by DIC Entertainment. Vesical's assets included non-U.S. rights to series such as Inspector Gadget, Heathcliff and Dennis the Menace.[11] Disney later returned these rights to DIC in 2006.
The rights to Créativité et Développement shows (including the adaptation rights to Diabolik) were transferred to Saban Entertainment as a result of Saban's French subsidiary, Saban International Paris, purchasing C&D in April 1996 and absorbing the company in 1998. C&D retained a few shows produced by DIC Audiovisuel after DIC Enterprises split off from it in 1987.
produced by DIC Enterprises, McNaught Syndicate, LBS Communications, ICC TV Productions (season 1), Chris-Craft Television (season 2) and United Entertainment Group (season 2)
produced by Créativité et Développement, Golden Films, and Bohbot Entertainment
Library status
With a few exceptions, the Fox Kids and Saban Entertainment television library is currently owned by The Walt Disney Company through BVS Entertainment. Since SIP Animation has been put into liquidation as of October 2023,[21][22]BVS Entertainment also owns all remaining assets of Saban International Paris/SIP Animation[23] catalogue and a portion of the Créativité et Développement[24] library acquired by Saban before Disney took over the company.
Disney owns the W.I.T.C.H.IP rights as they were directly involved in the production itself (not just through Jetix Europe) and published the comic books the show was based on. Disney previously licensed A.T.O.M. to independent distributor Multicom Entertainment Group, particularly including digital distribution rights; Multicom's rights have since reverted to Disney. Contrary to popular belief none of the BVS/SIP assets were transferred or folded into The Walt Disney Company France.
Except for some definitive titles (such as Susie Q, Au Pair 1 and 2, and Three Days), it is unknown today how much of the BVS, Libra Pictures and Saban/Scherick films are owned by Disney, due to numerous co-productions or the transfer of certain home video/international distribution rights and/or copyrights to third parties in the years before Disney acquired Saban.
The international distribution rights to the pre-1990 DIC Enterprises library were re-purchased by DIC in March 2006. This library as well as DIC-Saban co-produced The New Archies and DIC-SIP co-produced Gadget & the Gadgetinis via co-producer DIC Entertainment are currently owned by Canadian independent company WildBrain.[33] DIC Audiovisuel's shows retained by Créativité et Développement remain under the ownership of Disney.
Pigs Next Door was a co-production with Fox Kids, EM.TV and Wavery B.V. Studio 100, which acquired EM.TV's children's library in 2008, owns the U.S. digital rights and some international rights to the series (Europe, China, Australia, New Zealand and Quebec).[39]
Saban sold the rights to the live-action film Round Trip to Heaven to Spectrum Entertainment Group in 1992; it is currently distributed by Invincible Entertainment.[41]