Sterling Entertainment Group
| Company type | Independent |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Pettus family |
| Headquarters | Fort Mill , United States |
Area served | United States |
Number of employees | 250+ (1999) |
Sterling Entertainment Group—originally known as United American Video or UAV Corporation—was an independent American entertainment firm established in 1984 in Nashville, Tennessee. The company later relocated its headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1986, before moving again to Fort Mill, South Carolina in 1996. UAV was a prominent player in the budget home entertainment market, competing closely with companies such as GoodTimes Entertainment and Anchor Bay Entertainment.
History
The Pettus family founded the company with a modest team of four employees and a catalog of 50 public domain titles. UAV initially focused on VHS and Betamax formats before expanding into prerecorded music and computer software, prompting a rebranding as UAV Corporation. In 1991, the firm secured licensing rights for The Andy Griffith Show from Viacom Enterprises. UAV also operated several sublabels, including Gemstone Entertainment and Karaoke Bay.
In 1992, the company acquired 150 titles from the defunct VidAmerica, subsequently rebranding itself as Sterling Entertainment Group and distributing MTM Enterprises content under the MTM Home Video label. The following year, it introduced the Video Gift Pak series aimed at holiday retail markets. By 1996, UAV had transitioned to a purpose-built 100,000 square-foot facility in Fort Mill that centralized manufacturing, distribution, sales, and marketing operations. Additionally, UAV produced original videocassette content such as fitness programs featuring Kathy Ireland and children’s animation, while also investing in CD-ROM technology showcased at the 1994 Consumer Electronics Show.
Towards the end of 1998, the home entertainment segment was renamed Sterling Entertainment Group, although UAV remained the company's legal name. By 1999, the headquarters expanded by an additional 210,000 square feet and employed over 250 staff members. In 2002, UAV was acquired by a private equity firm.
On June 14, 2006, UAV filed for bankruptcy after lenders withdrew payroll funding, leading to layoffs exceeding 400 employees. Shortly thereafter, ContentFilm purchased Allumination Filmworks along with select UAV assets. In 2017, Content Media Corporation was acquired by Kew Media Group; following Kew’s liquidation in 2020, Quiver Entertainment—a division of Quiver Distribution—obtained the Kew Media Distribution library. Presently, Quiver holds the rights to most of UAV’s original productions, while licensed properties remain with other distributors.
Products
Sterling Entertainment Group’s catalog primarily consisted of VHS and DVD releases featuring public domain movies, cartoons, television series, original productions, exclusive licenses, music recordings, and computer software.
During the period when Sterling operated as UAV under the UAV Gold label, it released original animated adaptations of classic fairy tales and literature. These titles frequently acted as mockbusters, strategically timed to coincide with major studio theatrical releases from Disney and others—a bold approach uncommon among rivals due to potential legal challenges exemplified by Disney’s lawsuit against GoodTimes Entertainment over Aladdin. Prominent UAV Gold titles included The Secret of the Hunchback, The Secret of Anastasia, Young Pocahontas, The Secret of Mulan, Moses: Egypt's Great Prince, The Adventures of Tarzan, and a censored edition of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid (1975).
UAV held exclusive distribution rights to the entire MTM Enterprises catalog featuring flagship series such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Hill Street Blues, and The White Shadow. The company also distributed numerous public domain television episodes including The Beverly Hillbillies, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, and The Lucy Show. Starting in 2003, Sterling broadened its lineup by releasing VHS and DVDs of DIC Entertainment programming.