Arts Alliance Media Continues to Expand Worldwide Footprint of Digital Cinema Services, Partnering with Hoyts Cinemas

http://dcinematoday.com/dc/pr.aspx?newsID=2007

 

London—Aug 23, 2010

Arts Alliance Media (AAM), Europe’s leading digital cinema company, has announced that it has partnered with Hoyts Cinemas, Australia’s leading cinema chain, to rollout AAM’s Theatre Management System (TMS) across the entire Hoyts circuit in both Australia and New Zealand.
 
Hoyts Cinemas, which has over 400 screens across the two countries, will equip all digital screens with AAM’s proprietary software, custom designed to manage digital cinema operations. Hoyts is rolling out digital cinema across its entire circuit as part of the Digital Cinema Implementation Partners Australia (DCIPA) group.
 
AAM will be working closely in partnership with Hoyts to further develop its software, calling on Hoyts’ experience in cinema advertising services (via its sister company Val Morgan) and its skills and knowledge in cinema operations. In true partnership form, Hoyts will provide ongoing input and feedback to ensure that AAM’s TMS continues to best meet the needs of all exhibitors.
 
The partnership follows AAM’s announcement in March this year of a deal with Broadmedia to licence its TMS in Japan, and further demonstrates AAM’s multi-tiered approach to the digital cinema business. The agreement is the first that Arts Alliance Media has completed for a cinema outside those it has equipped as part of its own digital cinema rollout.  Furthermore, this is the first deal of its kind where a major exhibitor has committed to a TMS solution that is independent from the equipment selection and the integration company involved.
 
Adam Wrightson, Group Technology Director, Hoyts, said “For an exhibitor, choosing the right TMS is an important decision. It will become the foundation for workflow and management of our entire digital cinema network. An effective TMS will enable us to achieve the operational efficiencies and real revenue opportunities that digital conversion promises. After reviewing all the products in the marketplace we found the AAM TMS to be the most flexible and the most suited to our needs. As we continue to expand our digital cinema platform, we see AAM as a strategic partner to achieving our goals moving forward.”
 
Fiona Deans, Chief Operating Officer of AAM, added “Although our rollout business is focused in Europe, our content and software businesses are worldwide. We see Hoyts Cinemas as a key customer adding to our worldwide portfolio. Their operational and technical expertise is second to none around the globe making Hoyts a very welcomed client.”
 
AAM’s Vice-President, Technical Development, Matt Sullivan, said “We have been working with Adam and his team for over six months gathering their input on our TMS, which has been invaluable in improving our product. Our relationship is a true partnership and we look forward to continuing to work with them.”
 
Arts Alliance Media’s TMS is part of a software suite designed to manage all aspects of digital cinema content and playback in a cinema from a single location. The entire digital cinema workflow, from creating shows and scheduling playback through to moving content between screens and managing security keys (KDMs), can be managed from an easy to use, secure web interface. The AAM TMS is currently being rolled out across AAM’s VPF-signed screens with Cineworld and Yelmo, a total of over 1,100 screens. More information on TMS can be seen at http://tms.artsalliancemedia.com.