Tag Archives: Europe

Odeon Selects Unique Digital’s Platform For Digital Rollout

December 3, 2010

Odeon + Unique.jpg

Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group took another step forward in their digital cinema rollout this week by announcing their selection of Unique Digital’s software suite to help them manage digital content and equipment in converted theatres.

With 1,802 screens spread across 202 venues in seven countries, Odeon is Europe’s largest cinema circuit. They are so large in fact, that Odeon struck their own virtual print fee (VPF) agreements with Hollywood studios. Rather than rely on a deployment entity such as Arts Alliance Media or XDC, Odeon is handling the rollout all on their own.

However, it wouldn’t make much sense for Odeon to build their own digital cinema management software. That’s where Unique Digital comes in. [Full Disclosure: I have ongoing business dealings with Unique]. Odeon has selected to deploy Unique’s Rosetta Bridge, a theatre management system (TMS) and Cinema Accord, a back office system focused on managing digital content, keys and VPF agreements.

Based in London, and with offices in Dublin, Ireland and Bergen, Norway, Unique is one of Europe’s leading providers of software and network solutions that give motion picture exhibitors the ability to manage and support their cinema operations, including all content and equipment. In February, Unique was selected by Norway’s Film & Kino to help convert 90% of the country’s movie screens to digital.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Posted in Integrators

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Screen Digest’s David Hancock Discusses Europe’s D-Cinema Funding Shortfall

By J. Sperling Reich

July 7, 2010

Europe's Digital Shortfall (Courtesy Screen Digest)

On June 21st, just in time for Cinema Expo, Screen Digest published a report titled “Digital Cinema Moves Into The Mainstream“. Twelve pages in length and with 10 tables and charts, the report uncovered a significant “digital shortfall” in the amount of financing required to convert all of Europe’s screens to digital. David Hancock, a senior analyst at Screen Digest, authored the report and we asked him to shed some light on its key findings. (The interview appears after the jump).

Details From The Report
Not counting Russia there are roughly 32,600 screens throughout Europe for which a digital rollout will cost EUR €2.1 billion (or USD $2.65 billion). Of those screens 23,800 are covered for digital conversion through virtual print fees offered by Hollywood studios. Upwards of 5,000 screens will be handled directly by theatre owners themselves. Theoretically that means there is funding of EUR €1.65 billion (or USD $2.1 billion) for d-cinema conversions, leaving a gap of EUR €450 million (or USD $568.4 million) to cover all Europe’s screens.

And who is being left out of the funding equation? Well, it’s mostly art houses, seasonal theatres, repertory venues and mobile cinemas.

The United Kingdom and The Netherlands have set up special funding groups to help solve this problem. Support funds have also been established in such countries as the Czech Republic, Finalnd, France, Germany, and Sweden. On region in Poland plans to pull money out of a tourism fund and Italy is giving tax credits to any theatre which converts. The European Union is offering assistance through its MEDIA Programme.

Driven mostly by 3D content, the number of European screens equipped for d-cinema at the end of the first quarter in 2010 had risen 16% over 2009 to 5,333, or a full 15% of the region’s screens. Presently 75% of all digital screens in Europe are 3D capabe. Thanks to competition among France’s largest exhibitors, the country leads the 3D screen count with more than 700. The U.K. and Germany are second and third hovering around the 500 screen mark.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Posted in Digital Cinema

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Sony Expands In Europe With National Amusements, AMC, And Dealer Partnerships

By J. Sperling Reich

June 26, 2010

Sony's SRX-R320 Projector

If Sony wanted to make a big splash at Cinema Expo in Amsterdam this past week then they did one heck of a job. On Tuesday, the second day of the conference, Sony announced two exhibitor agreements with National Amusements and AMC Entertainment’s United Kingdom based theatres for digital conversions. The company, known for its 4K digital cinema solution, also struck up partnerships with three European digital cinema dealers.

National Amusements
The biggest of these announcements had to be the news that National Amusements had chosen Sony as their integrator. The theatre chainis one of the largest in the world, operating 950 screens across venues in the U.K., United States and Latin America. National Amusements is the fifth largest theatre chain in North America.

Under their existing virtual print fee (VPF) agreements with Hollywood studios, Sony will install their 4K digital cinema projectors on all of National Amusements’ screens. They will start immediately with Showcase Cinemas, National Amusements’ U.K. theatre chain where Sony Digital Cinema 4K systems will be deployed on all 276 screens. In an effort to quickly ramp up the number of 3D screens at the circuits disposal, Sony will install the first 24 systems before the end of July.

There was no mention when installation of d-cinema equipment would begin in the U.S. or South America. In fact the press release seemed purposefully non-committal, referring to the deal as an “expected global exhibitor agreement”. One could read into the use of the word “expected” or assume that Sony will be deploying equipment to the 450 screens National Amusements has in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island. The theatre chain owns 16 theatres in South America which would probably be included in any worldwide rollout.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Posted in Equipment Vendors, Integrators

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Official: Irish love their filum in cinemas

By Patrick von Sychowski

November 2, 2007

Irish Destiny poster Statistics released by the European statistical agency Eurostat has revealed that the Irish are the Union’s most frequent cinema-goers, with over four visits per year, compared to the EU average of just under two. From an article in the Hollywood Reporter:

The Irish are Europe’s keenest cinemagoers, hitting the theater an average of 4.2 times a year, compared with the European Union average of 1.9.

The figures from EU statistical agency Eurostat, published Monday, reveal that other eager cinemagoers included the French (3.0), the Spanish (2.8) and Luxembourgers (2.7), while the least frequent attendees were the Romanians (0.1), Bulgarians (0.3) and Slovakians (0.6).

In the past year, 51% of EU citizens said they had been to the cinema at least once, though this figure stood at 71% in Sweden, 69% in Denmark and 66% in Ireland. When broken down by age, the figures showed the dominance of youth: 82% of 15- to 24-year-olds had been to the cinema at least once versus 66% of 25- to 39-year-olds, 53% of 40- to 54-year-olds and 24% of those over 55.

The report can be found here. However, if non-EU countries had been taken into consideration Iceland might have nudged out Ireland, as pan-European statistics from Screen Digest tend to confirm the smaller of the two north Atlantic islands as the the number one home of cinema buffs.

According to the report, the most internationalist viewers seem to live in Sweden and Denmark, where 73 and 74 per cent respectively reported having seen a ‘foreign language’ film or television programme in the past year – though I assume that they mean non-English, or the rate would have been closer to 100 per cent.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Posted in Analysis

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