Arts Alliance Media, Europe’s leading digital cinema company, and partners Arqiva Satellite & Media, have announced a deal to equip all of the Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group screens in mainland Europe with satellite service. The deal covers over 1,000 screens across 100 sites in 5 territories – Austria, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
All sites will be fitted with Arqiva’s professional satellite receive equipment, and will allow cinemas to take electronic delivery of digital content including Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) of feature films, trailers and advertising as well as to receive live content, via Arqiva’s Digital Cinema Platform on satellite IS905.
Howard Kiedaisch, CEO of Arts Alliance Media, said of the deal “We’re thrilled to be working with Odeon & UCI, the largest cinema operator in Europe, and being able to bring them the true benefits of digital cinema with full electronic DCP delivery as well as secure, reliable alternative content events to their audiences from the same system. “
Barrie Woolston, Commercial Director at Arqiva Broadcast & Media, added “This deal is another vote of confidence for Arqiva’s expertise in satellite, and we’re delighted to be working with AAM to bring our professional equipment and satellite infrastructure to so many screens in such a leading cinema group. Odeon’s support for satellite rollout in their real estate demonstrates it really is the way forward for digital cinema.”
Drew Kaza, Executive Vice President of Digital Development for ODEON and UCI Cinemas, said “This deal is a great step along the digital road for Odeon across Europe. We’re excited to be delivering more of digital’s perfect quality, whether with film or special events from music to sport for all of our discerning guests. We have confidence that the partnership with AAM and Arqiva will help keep us at the forefront in delivery solutions for digital cinema well into the future.”
Satellite capability brings major advantages to both distributors and exhibitors in comparison to the current digital cinema practice of shipping content on hard drives. Content can be downloaded seamlessly to digital cinema servers, and sent to multiple sites simultaneously. The ability to show live content such as sports, concerts and special events such as director Q&As brings an extra dimension to the entertainment offering for cinema audiences.
