From AV Club · · 1m 30s
Shout! Factory's Lost TV Era Ends
Private equity buys Shout! Factory, ending its role as lost TV's keeper.
In brief
Private equity buys Shout! Factory, ending its role as lost TV's keeper. Shout! Factory, once a distributor of cult classics, lost rights to Super Sentai after private equity acquisition. Originally reported by AV Club.
Shout! Factory's origins
Shout! Factory started in 2002 as a retro music label but shifted to TV distribution after licensing Freaks And Geeks in 2004.
Early cult classics
Shout! released Freaks And Geeks: The Fan Edition in 2004, described as the finest tv-related boxed set ever created.
Growth in niche genres
Shout! licensed SCTV, Home Movies, and tokusatsu shows like Super Sentai by 2006.
2010s expansion
Shout! launched ad-supported streaming channels in 2015 after securing Mystery Science Theater 3000 rights.
2020s shift
Shout! signed Roger Corman in 2018 and acquired ALF rights in 2022, then rebranded as Shout! Studios in 2023.
Private equity takeover
Oaktree Capital acquired Shout! Factory in 2023, merging it with FilmRise to form Shout! Studios.
Physical media shift
Shout! announced it would no longer sell physical media directly, shifting to GRUV managed by Universal Pictures.
Super Sentai loss
Shout! lost Super Sentai rights in 2025, ending its role as keeper of cult classics.
Peking Opera Blues
Shout! released Peking Opera Blues on Blu-ray in 2025, restored from film negative with extras.
Community reaction
Tokusatsu fans mourned Shout! losing Super Sentai rights after the 2025 announcement.
The main idea
Shout! Factory, once a distributor of cult classics, lost rights to Super Sentai after private equity acquisition.
