Becker Entertainment
| Company type | Private (formerly public) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film and television production, distribution, exhibition |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Founder | Russell Becker |
Area served | Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia |
Key people | Richard Becker (former Managing Director), Russell Becker (former Chairman), Daniel Becker, RJ Brent |
| Products | Television programs, feature films, film distribution, cinema exhibition |
| Parent | Prime Television (2007–?) |
Becker Entertainment is a production firm based in Australia.
History
The company was established in 1965 by Russell Becker under the name R.A. Becker. Recognized as a trailblazer in Australian commercial television, it became the country's first independent distributor of TV programs and subsequently developed localized versions of American game shows.
In 1976, Richard Becker, Russell's son, expanded the business by acquiring Fremantle International’s Australian division, thereby broadening their production footprint across Australia and New Zealand. After concluding a career in government, Richard joined the family enterprise in 1977, significantly enhancing the television segment's expansion.
By 1987, Becker had created PRO Films to focus on feature film production based in Los Angeles. Around this period, the company ventured into theatrical film distribution through REP (Richard Entertainment Partners), co-founded by Richard Becker and his partners. REP was overseen by Richard Sheffield until he left to initiate PolyGram Pictures’ Australian branch.
The commercial success of Four Weddings and a Funeral enabled Becker Entertainment Limited to go public on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1995, with Richard acting as Managing Director and Russell serving as Chairman. At the same time, PolyGram launched its own Australian operations, ending its collaboration with Becker.
Subsequently, Becker acquired the Dendy Cinema chain, establishing itself as Australia's leading exhibitor specializing in art house and limited-release films. The company also entered the Indonesian market through a ten-year agreement with broadcaster RCTI starting in 1998.
During the late 1990s, Becker secured distribution rights to a library containing 600 titles from TMS Distribution (which later became Hoyts Distribution). In 2003, it introduced Becker Films International to oversee worldwide sales of its film catalog. The following year, Becker divested its interest in home video distributor Magna Pacific for $27 million.
In 2007, Prime Television purchased Becker Entertainment. The next year, Becker sold both Dendy Films and Dendy Cinemas to Icon Film Distribution.
After leaving Becker Entertainment in 2007, Richard Becker founded Becker Film Group in 2008. Remaining assets held by Prime Television Limited led to Becker Entertainment’s removal from the ASX and its rebranding as WASTAR ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD.
Relaunch
On 22 September 2016, Daniel Becker and RJ Brent registered a new trading entity with ASIC named BECKER ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD ACN 614 954 157.
Revived as a film and television production company, Becker Entertainment recommenced operations in 2017 with projects such as My Day Job and Ravenswood.