Contender Entertainment Group
EnormousRat and thisisanswer
Editions by
Henrynguye5, TheRealMarcel2000 and Michael Kenchington
Video captures courtesy of
JeuceTheWarrior and fletcherwilsonfilm
Background
Contender Limited, trading as Contender Entertainment Group, is a media company founded in 1995, and originally traded as a home video distributor, acquiring properties to distribute on VHS, mostly children's properties under their "Nippers", "Bonkers" and "Kult Kidz" labels.
In mid-2002, the company expanded to full television and original IPs by launching a television division, which brought along the popular series Tractor Tom and Peppa Pig to the world. By this point, they expanded to DVD releases, holding a partnership with manufacturer Cheerful Scout.
In 2004, the company expanded when it acquired Medusa Communications, and in 2005, Contender Entertainment Group split their television and home video divisions into separate divisions - Rubber Duck Entertainment and Contender Home Entertainment, while CEG became a holding company. CEG later expanded to theatrical distribution by founding Contender Films and consumer products with Contender Merchandising.
In June 2007, Canadian company Entertainment One Income Fund announced they would acquire Contender for £49.4 million. The sale was soon closed, and Contender became the UK subsidiary of the now-expanding business.
In March 2009, with the rebranding of the Entertainment One Income Fund as E1 Entertainment, Contender Ltd. was rebranded as E1 Entertainment UK Limited, with the Contender brand scrapped in favour of the universal "E1 Entertainment" brand. On 31 August 2010, the company was rebranded again to Entertainment One UK Limited, after a change in branding.
1st Logo (1995-1999)
Visuals: On a grey-white gradient background, a dark red square is seen inside a frame, representing a stop button on a VCR. The frame then flashes to change it to a pause button, then to a play button, and finally to a fast forward button. One of the arrows on the button slides to the right. Both arrows get incorporated into the text "contender" in a modified Optima font with strange-looking "e"'s, which casts a shadow. The now empty button fades out.
Technique: Limited animation.
Audio: "Free Me from Your Love" by Colin Kiddy, despite it's high-pitched and abridged.
Availability: Seen on releases by the company from the time-period until 1999.
- Releases utilizing the logo are out of print, but it is seen on pre-1999 Art Attack and Zzzap! VHS releases.
- VHS releases released between 1998 and 2000 only contain the Nippers, Bonkers or Kult Kidz logos, all serving as sub-divisions of Contender that traded until 2003.
- This logo is also seen on the 1997 UK VHS release of Chatterhappy Ponies: Volume 1, and the 1999 UK VHS release of Martin Gates's Jack and the Beanstalk, respectively, among others.
2nd Logo (2000-June 7, 2005)
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In-credit version
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Visuals: On a space background, a blue star with an abstract red eagle inside of it zooms towards the screen. An explosion of bright light occurs, and the screen zooms out, revealing a few more blue stars as smaller orange and white ones move around erratically. Another flash occurs and as we continue to zoom away, said eagle is drawn in. Several light rays appear, forming "CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP". A ripple forms the company URL below, and finally, the eagle's eye rotates as light emits from it.
Variants:
- A shortened version exists.
- Sometimes, the logo is in-credit.
- A still version of this logo also exists, which is seen at the end of some UK VHS releases. It usually lasts either five seconds before the logo fades out to black, or thirty seconds before the logo cuts to black. Other UK VHS releases have the normal logo at the beginning as well as the end.
Technique: CGI.
Audio: A trance theme, ending in a three-note synth-string fanfare. Otherwise, none or the closing theme of the show.
Availability: Seen on releases and programmes by the company from the time-period until 2005.
- This logo is seen on UK VHS and DVD releases, including a few classic Hong Kong movies, like Wheels on Meals, and major releases such as Will and Grace, Spooks, Farscape, Footballer's Wives, Bad Girls, Takeshi's Castle, and The Professionals.
- It is also seen on Contender's library of children's programming, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Story Makers, Miffy & Friends, and post-1999 Art Attack and Zzzap! VHS releases, as well as nursery rhyme compilations such as the 2002 UK VHS release of 100 Favourite Fairy Tales and Stories, and the 2003 UK VHS release of 100 Favourite Toddler Tunes and Rhymes, and various anime releases such as Cardcaptors, Beyblade, Beyblade V-Force, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon Chronicles.
- Various Tractor Tom VHS and DVD releases also contain this logo, alongside the first two Peppa Pig home video releases - "Muddy Puddles and Other Stories" and "Flying a Kite and Other Stories".
- It also shows up on the promotional VHS release "Polly Parrot and Other Stories".
- The variants are seen on Tractor Tom and the first season of Peppa Pig.
3rd Logo (2005-December 26, 2009)
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Visuals: A blue skyline with the River Thames below, made up of some of London's recognizable buildings on the landmark side (including the London Eye, BT Tower, and the Gherkin) wipes into view. Then, an orange sun rises beyond the wheel as the camera zooms in, passing by all the buildings. The sun's ray eventually overtake the entire screen and it flashes white, before the light collapses into the letters "CEG", on a scratchy red-orange circle, with moving patterns, on a white background. Below, "CONTENDER", with "ENTERTAINMENT GROUP" under it, fade in.
Variant: An in-credit version exists, which just has the "CONTENDER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP" text in white.
Technique: CGI by Fletcher Wilson.
Audio: An ascending tune, followed by a majestic orchestral fanfare. The fanfare was composed and performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.
Availability: The only known release to feature the standard logo is the 2009 UK DVD release of the first season of Underbelly.
- Other releases use their respective division's logos: Contender Home Entertainment, Contender Films, and Contender Merchandising.
- The in-credit variant is seen on the TV special Lost and Found.
