The Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition has announced that its network’s live theatrical event footprint has now surpassed 800 sites, expanding the opportunity to bring more consumers together for exclusive live cinematic experiences. The 800-plus sites in DCDC’s growing network represent more than 3,100 theatres and more than 33,000 screens across the U.S.
“When I joined DCDC it became clear to me that both content owners and exhibitor operators wanted more live capability,” said Howard Kiedaisch, CEO of DCDC. “Having the shared experience of live content is just one of the many reasons people want to get out and enjoy a big screen event and we will continue to aggressively grow this footprint to help better service the industry.”
DCDC recently delivered the groundbreaking one-night-only event, BTS Permission to Dance on Stage: Seoul to more than 570 DCDC live enabled locations on behalf of Trafalgar Releasing. This special event had 1,140 shows delivered through the DCDC Network. "We are thrilled to see DCDC continuing to expand its capability for live broadcast as we've been big users of the network and had great success with BTS earlier in the year,” said Trafalgar Releasing CEO Marc Allenby. “We are working on an exciting slate of live projects which will all be available via DCDC."
The DCDC Network has distributed more than 55 live events since its inception with plans to surpass 60 live events by the end of 2022. In addition to the BTS event this year, DCDC notably delivered the opening night fan event of Scream featuring an early screening and live Q&A of the film to more than 555 theatre sites on behalf of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group. The DCDC Network has distributed a variety of live events including Q&As with film talent, eSports competitions, concerts, and sporting events such as boxing, wrestling, and mixed martial arts.
There are various ways to add live capability, depending on the type of equipment located in each theatre. DCDC has made available the Kencast decoder, a system that allows an exhibitor to make any screen live enabled with easy installation by the cinema staff. Alternatively, GDC and Dolby servers have software upgrades that enable a projector to handle live content without the extra equipment.