OPUS ARTE STEPS UP ITS CINEMA DISTRIBUTION TO BECOME A MAJOR PLAYER IN UK ALTERNATIVE DIGITAL CONTENT

Opus Arte, the Royal Opera House's multi-platform arts production and distribution company, announces that it is bringing its UK cinema distribution operation fully in house. The UK distribution was established in partnership with Arts Alliance Media, but from September 2009 will be administered exclusively by Opus Arte.

Opus Arte has the cinema distribution rights for productions from many of the leading European opera houses including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Liceu Barcelona and Teatro Real, Madrid; new editions to the list for 2009 distribution include Glyndebourne Festival Opera.  In partnership with its worldwide distributor, Digiscreen, Opus Arte exhibits these performances around the world.

Opus Arte and Digiscreen, have brought 16 titles to over 300 cinemas this last season which were enjoyed by over 200,000 people, culminating in the hugely successful broadcast of La Traviata live from the Royal Opera House on the 20^th June, which was screened to 90 UK cinemas with an audience of over 20,000.

Hans Petri, President of Opus Arte said:

"This is an important development for us; bringing responsibility for UK cinematic distribution in house will greatly increase our ability to deepen relationships with our partner cinema groups, improving the efficiency of all aspects of the business. Isabelle Fauchet Collier has joined Opus Arte as Account Manager for Cinema and TV distribution she will be building on the excellent work begun by Arts Alliance Media. "

The Western European and worldwide distribution of the Opus Arte catalogue will continue to be operated from North America by Digiscreen. 

Mark Hooper, Chief Executive of DigiScreen commented, "We have had a wonderful year and seen a rapid increase in the number of countries who are showing these beautifully produced world class productions in HD and Full 5.1 surround sound. We have played to over 200,000 people in over 11 countries. We aim to reach a further eight new territories over the next twelve months."

Tony Hall, Chief Executive Royal Opera House and Chairman Opus Arte added:

"I am delighted with these results.  We have quickly established ourselves as a major player in this exciting new arena for opera and ballet. I am particularly pleased that Glyndebourne have come on board with us bringing excellent opera and ballet to a new audience of music lovers who have to date not necessarily been able to see these great works on stage. The growing success of this venture is made possible by new digital technologies and is increasing hugely the numbers of people who can enjoy our work."

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Opus Arte:

Opus Arte, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Royal Opera House, was established in 1999 and grew rapidly to become one of the world's leading providers of high-quality classical music content. As well as releasing around thirty titles on DVD & Blu-ray per year, the company has produced and directed programmes that have been broadcast in over 60 countries, and won many Awards. The aim of Opus Arte has always been to work with the best possible partners in all areas of business - from broadcasters to producers; from opera houses to directors. Its continuing partnership with DigiScreen ensures that philosophy will continue, bringing outstanding performances to an enthusiastic global cinema audience.

Digiscreen:

DigiScreen is a digital network for the distribution and presentation of independent film and alternative content.  The company's low-cost high quality HD technology allows exhibitors to access content with a very low overhead.

DigiScreen launched the network in 2007 with an exclusive collaboration with Opus Arte and the Royal Opera House of London.  Thanks to this collaboration, the company is able to showcase the world's most prestigious contemporary performing arts companies in an ongoing series of spectacular operas and ballets. These productions are captured live, in High Definition, from locations such as Convent Garden (London), Palais Garnier (Paris), Teatro Real (Madrid), Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona), War Memorial (San Francisco) and other great stages of the world. These HD productions are presented exclusively by DigiScreen and its partners to audiences in more than 300 cinemas across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and Japan. Presentations in South Africa and other territories will be starting shortly.