This agreement expands the valued partnership between Cinedigm and these three exhibitors, each of which have been long-time customers of Cinedigm’s in-theatre advertising company, UniqueScreen Media.
The agreement will enable the conversion of these theatres to digital cinema under the terms of Cinedigm’s long-term Virtual Print Fee (VPF) agreements with all the major studios. Cinedigm will provide installation and implementation coordination and support with each company’s equipment and service providers and the ongoing administration management responsibility of the VPF program.
Cinedigm’s system will enable the theatres to provide consumers all-new digital entertainment options, including high quality live, 3D and alternative content programming.
The rollout comprises 340 screens and is expected to be completed by early 2012. Included in the deployment:
- Cinema Entertainment Corp. with 137 screens
- United Entertainment Corp. with 124 screens
- Mann Theatres, Inc. with 79 screens
Each of the three exhibitors ordered select models of NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS DIGITAL CINEMA projectors, including the NC1200, NC2000, NC3200S and NC3240S models, for almost all of their screens. GDC Technology will provide the cinema servers.
Ballantyne Strong, Inc. (NYSE Amex: BTN) is the project’s reseller and will provide installation services, warranty and first-level service support, monitoring the health of each projector in the system from its network operations center.
“We took our time looking at all our options for our digital cinema program because it is a long term commitment and investment in our future,” said Robert Ross, President, CEC Theatres. “We are confident we have made the right decision in selecting Cinedigm to work with to be part of that long term commitment to bring the quality and the new programming opportunities that digital cinema enables to our valued movie going customers.”
“We are certain that in choosing Cinedigm we have made the best choice for United Entertainment for our digital cinema deployment program,” said Michael Ross, President of UEC. “We look forward to taking full advantage of everything Cinedigm has to offer, including the highest quality digital cinema and unique alternative programming.”
“Mann Theatres prides itself on offering its customers the highest quality entertainment,” said Stephen Mann, President of Mann Theatres. “Utilizing Cinedigm’s services and technology will enable us to continue our mission to provide moviegoers with a tremendous visual experience as well as enhance our overall entertainment value.”
“It has been a pleasure working with each of these three exhibitors throughout the deal process," said Gary Loffredo, Cinedigm's General Counsel and corporate Senior Vice President Business Affairs. "We look forward to developing even more opportunities with them utilizing the full menu of Cinedigm digital applications featuring our software and alternative content programming."
“We have great respect for each of these exhibitors which we have known for many years as partners of our screen advertising division, Unique Screen Media,” said Chuck Goldwater, President, Media Services Group. “They are each strong and proud family-run companies that each exemplify the best qualities of the exhibition business with their dedication to the finest in motion picture entertainment and first class service to their customers. We are delighted and proud to be extending our partnership with each of them for many more years to come.”
Cinedigm's Digital Cinema division is the industry-leading deployment program for Digital Cinema. It facilitates the funding, installation, operations support and ongoing Virtual Print Fee (“VPF”) administration for the company's Digital Cinema rollout plans throughout the United States and Canada. Cinedigm, which has signed long-term VPF agreements with all the major studios and interim agreements with dozens of independent distributors, is also the digital cinema integrator partner for the Cinema Buying Group (“CBG”), a buying program of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) for independent theatre operators in the United States and Canada.
In the combined Phase One and Phase Two digital cinema deployment program, Cinedigm is responsible for deploying nearly 33% of all digital cinema screens in North America, including:
- Signed 9,400+ screens overall
- Installed over to 6,700 digital screens
