8,000 new digital screens in Europe

Digital cinema is taking a big step in Europe. Yesterday we talked about how Sony Pictures’ new ‘Hot Ticket’ service will distribute digital content in the US, where about 5,000 screens are able to display the content. But in Europe, digital cinema equipment provider XDC has signed with four studios to deploy another 8,000 digital screens.

Earlier, the only choice for European theaters was to sign up with competitor Arts Alliance Media. But most theaters didn’t like the cost-sharing deal. This will give them a new choice. “The market needs some competition for exhibitors to see it as real. XDC has been around for a long time and now it has the credibility of studio product,” digital cinema analyst David Hancock said. But he noted how this step could also benefit Arts Alliance Media. “This is good news. [Arts Alliance] needed a competitor to make their offer more credible.“

XDC made the deal with Warner Bros, Twentieth Century Fox, Disney and Paramount, which will give them a lot more credibility. Yes, the digital revolution is everywhere. In ten years there will be no analog theaters left.