Ebook: Rewind, Replay: Britain and the Video Boom, 1978-1992

Charts the introduction and rise of video entertainment in Britain from the launch of Betamax and VHS in 1978 to the development of the video superstore in the early 1990s

• Presents the first book dedicated to Britain’s video boom
• Considers the development of the video distribution industry in the UK, identifying the key players
• Appraises the development of video shops and clubs, from the late 1970s to arrival of Blockbuster

Rewind, Replay explores the birth and maturation of the pre-recorded video entertainment business in the UK. Informed by archival research and the examination of contemporaneous trade periodicals, industrial documentation and ephemera, it scrutinises distributors, wholesalers and shops. It explores industry shifts previoulsy unconsidered in scholarship, including video rental, market rationalisation and the development of ‘sell-though’ videocassettes to identify the key factors that led to the video boom.