Theater chains will soon have a new option to launch their own personalized video-on-demand platforms for customers. The cinema software company Vista Group is partnering with ScreenPlus, a company that provides VOD solutions for independent, local theaters.
ScreenPlus announced the news Tuesday that the partnership between the companies will make ScreenPlus’ VOD platform offering available to exhibitors in all major territories, including the US, Canada and UK.
Vista Group already provides tech and software solutions for Regal Theatres, Bow Tie Cinemas, Emagine Entertainment, B&B Theater and Landmark Theatres in the US as well as Cineplex in Canada, Lumiere Pavilions in China, Cineword Cinemas, Odeon Cinemas, Curzon Cinemas and Vue Entertainment in the UK.
As theaters remain closed due to the coronavirus, the tech solution allows exhibitors to build a personalized platform for offering at-home streaming to customers. ScreenPlus curates the platform and provides piracy protection and digital rights management, and Vista Group will push out the offering to its partners.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce this partnership with Vista Group. ScreenPlus is a market-leading platform that connects people with their favorite local cinemas, enabling them to watch new releases through the portal of their cinema, but at home. The cinemas have lost out as a result of the current COVID-19 crisis, but this will potentially generate additional revenue and retain the relationships exhibitors have with their customers,” ScreenPlus director John Barnett said in a statement.
“We have been working with [ScreenPlus developers] Shift72 to bring the ScreenPlus solution to our exhibition customers for some time. The outbreak of COVID-19 has seen us accelerate the release of the product to the exhibition market. The templated nature of the solution, which is SaaS based, enables us to stand up customized VOD sites for our customers in very short time frames. Shift72’s technology and delivery are world class, and we are excited to put exhibitors in the driving seat, creating new offerings they can provide to their customers,” Vista Group founder and chief product officer Murray Holdaway said in a statement.
ScreenPlus is developed by Shift72 Ltd, which worked with SXSW in providing a secure platform for press and industry to view this year’s entries after the festival was canceled. Shift72 has also previously worked with the Cannes Marché du Film, SXSW and the American Film Market.