Warner Music International on Tuesday announced the launch of a new video content division, Warner Music Entertainment, aimed at fully exploiting its artists’ material across DVD, television, mobile and the Internet.
The new unit will be created through the acquisition of U.K. independent specialist DVD and digital production business the Rights Co., which will be merged with WMI’s existing DVD sales, marketing and distribution unit, Warner Vision.
The Rights Co. founder and CEO Conrad Withey will head up Warner Music Entertainment as president. Withey, formerly director of home entertainment and acquisitions at Momentum Pictures U.K., reports to John Reid, WMI’s vice chairman of music, marketing and content.
Based in London, the new division also will develop new music-related programming formats, acquire content rights from third-party producers and generate programming opportunities around Warner Music’s catalog.