BMG Family Entertainment
Background
BMG Ariola Miller was created in 1987 as a joint venture of German music companies Bertelsmann Music Group, Ariola and Miller. It served as a subsidiary of BMG Video, and focused on releasing children's material and budget titles in Germany (in collaboration with Europa Video). The joint venture was renamed to "BMG Family Entertainment" in 2004 when Bertelsmann merged their music business with Sony Music Entertainment. After BMG was absorbed into SME in 2008, the division went defunct as well.
BMG Ariola Miller
1st Logo (1987?-1995?)
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Logo: On a gray background, we see the BMG logo with a segmented triangle appearing, with the words "BMG ARIOLA MILLER GMBH" under a red line. Below appears the word "präsentiert", then the screen fades and the 1987 Europa Video logo appears.
Technique: Very basic animation.
Music/Sounds: A playful xylophone theme.
Availability: Unknown.
2nd Logo (1995-2003)
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Logo: Same as the 1995 BMG Video logo, but "VIDEO" is replaced with "ARIOLA MILLER" (in a cheap font), whose letters then horizontally align themselves to face the viewer on a still background. The logo's animation then fast-rewinds and the 1995 Europa Video logo appears.
Technique: Same as the BMG Video logo, plus the letters aligning and the logo playing backwards.
Music/Sounds: The first half is the same as the BMG Video logo, then ascending and descending synth notes are heard in the second half.
Availability: Unknown.
Legacy: Same as the 2nd BMG Video logo.
3rd Logo (2003-2004)
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Logo: On a black background, blue and red lights appear from the center of the screen. The lights reveal the BMG Ariola Miller logo, this time with the bottom text in the same font as "VIDEO" in the 1995 logo appears in, which slowly flips up as it zooms in. After it zooms in, the logo stands still and the triangle and line light up, followed by the lettering doing the same thing. It then transitions via the triangle to the 2003 Europa Video logo.
Technique: The lights, the logo zooming in.
Music/Sounds: Same as before.
Availability: Unknown.
BMG Family Entertainment
(2004-2006)
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Logo: Same as before, but the logo is slightly redesigned: "BMG" is skinnier, the triangle and line have a white hue, and "ARIOLA MILLER" is replaced with "FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT". The animation is also slightly different: the lights are smoother, the logo zooms in gradually slower, and only "FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT" lights up. It then simply fades to the 2003 Europa Video logo.
Technique: Same as before.
Music/Sounds: Same as before.
Availability: Unknown.
