Following the announcement last month that Arts Alliance Media
(AAM) and Wanda Cinema Line (Wanda) have entered into a long term strategic partnership,
the companies have announced that they have concluded a deal for all of Wanda’s
sites in China to be powered by AAM cinema technology. AAM’s Lifeguard hardware
monitoring system and Screenwriter Theatre Management System (TMS) will be
installed on over 1,500 screens initially, a footprint that will grow over the
coming years as Wanda maintains its position as China’s largest circuit. The rollout
of the software will begin immediately. Lifeguard, AAM’s NOC (Network Operations Centre) software, enables
head office to monitor all digital cinema hardware across a circuit from one
central location, keeping sites running smoothly and customers happy. Designed
to work seamlessly across multiple different equipment brands, Lifeguard
provides a bird’s eye view of each piece of equipment at each screen, no matter
how remote. The product is designed for use by either integrators who require
an out-of-the-box solution for digital cinema monitoring, or by exhibitors who
want to bring hardware maintenance in-house. The visibility and control
Lifeguard provides allows faults to be anticipated and fixed more quickly,
reducing downtime and expensive maintenance visits. All faults are tracked and
recorded via an ITIL-compliant ticketing system, so not only do operators have
a complete history of actions taken, but SLAs can be easily reported on and
historical fault data analysed.
Lifeguard is integrated into Arts Alliance Media’s cinema software
suite, but also works with multiple other TMS brands to fit seamlessly into
existing cinema operations and provide a complete maintenance and ticketing
system.
Screenwriter, already installed on over 20,000 cinema screens around
the world, will control operations at each site, helping to prevent missed
shows by proactively alerting users to potential upcoming problems such as
missing content or KDMs.
Automation of processes not only eliminates human
error in managing content, but also frees up staff resource to spend more time
with customers. Screenwriter is designed to be equipment agnostic, and works
across multiple equipment brands and POS systems to provide seamless operation
across screens.
John Zeng (Zeng Mao Jun), Chief Executive Officer of Wanda Cinema Line,
commented “We’re delighted to announce that Arts Alliance Media software will
be powering Wanda Cinema Line’s screens across China. Screenwriter and
Lifeguard are just two examples of AAM’s global leadership in technology to
benefit cinemas, and they are going to enable us to have better insight and
control across our entire circuit, ultimately allowing us to provide our
customers with the best possible experience.”
John Aalbers, Chief Executive Officer of Arts Alliance Media added: “We
believe that this agreement is one of the largest ever cinema software deals
and we’re delighted to be making it with such an esteemed partner. This deal is
the first rollout in our long term partnership with Wanda Cinema Line and we
have some very exciting plans to bring the latest developments in cinema
innovation to Wanda’s business. We’re rolling out Screenwriter and Lifeguard
installations right now and are looking forward to delivering the software that
helps Wanda create efficiencies and provide their customers with an even better
experience. The next phase will be all about helping Wanda with revenue growth.”
