Upon securing a long-term partnership agreement with the leading global technology company HCL Technologies, MetaMedia, the global, cloud-based distribution platform for cinemas, drive-ins, and other out-of-home venues, has expanded its entertainment network to more than 3,000 screens across the U.S. and Canada, covering all the top 50 cities.
A new report from content protection specialist Nagra, entitled Piracy Has No Boundaries, claims that thieves steal tens of billions of dollars of content value annually and that more than 80 percent of content theft is attributable to streaming. In addition, the report says, eight percent of U.S. households subscribe to illicit internet protocol services for an estimated $1 billion in illegal subscription revenue every year. The report uses Disney and Marvel Studio’s Black Widow as an example of how things can go wrong when feature films are streamed and estimates that the film lost between $50-$70 million because the movie lacked an exclusive theatrical window over its first ten days of release.
Social cinema platform Kinema today announces its launch of a new fully integrated and secure live video broadcasting tool into its virtual Kinema cinematic experience. This combines high-quality, live streaming technology with an advanced film play experience and easy-to-navigate controls. This proprietary feature, an entertainment industry first, gives screening hosts, exhibition partners, filmmakers and talent access to a single source of seamless and easy-to-use tools, enabling them to engage with their audience during live Q&As and film screenings hosted on the Kinema platform.
Digital Cinema United, a content services company specializing in digital cinema package production and delivery services, has hired Ronnie Ycong to lead the company’s North America and Latin America region as executive vice president and general manager – Americas. At the same time the company announced the addition of Premiere Cinemas and Epic Theatres to its DCU Connect network.
Unique X has launched its first consumer-facing product to provide a service for the public to instantly book an exclusive private screening. Launching nationally across the UK with Odeon Cinemas Group, Europe’s largest cinema operator and an AMC Entertainment company, Book the Cinema offers consumers the opportunity to book a private screening at their favorite cinema, along with food and beverages, directly through a user-friendly and intuitive website.
Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquired writer/director Valérie Lemercier's film Aline for an early 2022 U.S. theatrical release. Lemercier also plays the title character at ages 5, 12 and into adulthood.
Kinema, which calls itself a cinematic experience platform, has expanded its film library to a total of more than 60 new titles. New partners include Magnolia Pictures, Greenwich Entertainment, Abramorama, Cargo Releasing, Frameline, Film Movement and Well Go USA. The rollout of the new titles, all of which have experienced global film festival recognition and critically acclaimed industry reviews, will continue this summer into the late fall.
Cinedigm is partnering with online entertainment marketplace Exeest to power a fully integrated film submission platform for Fandor and its portfolio of channels. The advanced platform will use Exeest's exclusive technology to streamline the film submission process for independent filmmakers, provide the Fandor programming team a state-of-the-art way to solicit, ingest, screen and evaluate film content suitable for its audience.
Digital Cinema United has launched its cloud based DCU Connect platform into the U.S. to support the advancement of content delivery for film distributors and theatrical exhibitors. DCU Connect, which is based on Sharc technology, has been in development since 2015 to address the high cost of physical and satellite delivery of digital cinema packages directly to movie theaters globally.
Calling itself the world’s premier first direct-to-consumer, full-length feature film non-fungible token viewing and distribution platform, Vuele announced today it will debut Anthony Hopkins’ new movie, Zero Contact, exclusively to consumers as an NFT.
