Essentially, when Academy first appeared and they were releasing classic world cinema films like Bicycle Thieves, Rafifi, Cinema Paradiso and the Fassbinder films. They had very little competition, Tartan had vanished, Artificial Eye seemed to be on a break and Eureka hadn't started taking over the niche like they did.
Now there are loads of boutique labels who all have their own 'style' and Academy and Video have lost their identity, clearly with their sights set on being the UK equivalent of Shout Factory (although I guess they think it's Criterion). Their release quality is second to none, but their brand identity seems to have gone a bit skewiff...
__________________  Triumphant sight on a northern sky |