Cinema advertising chain Screenvision has extended its partnership with Marcus Theatres that will keep its second largest exhibition client in the tent as part of what is being billed as a “long-term” agreement.
Screenvision also finalized a deal with Reading International that encompasses 20 theaters and 218 screens.
The extensions come after Screenvision abandoned a proposed merger with National CineMedia. In that case, the company was facing fierce government opposition to the union after the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division filed suit to block deal.
Executives at the in-theater advertising company cited the Reading and Marcus deals, as well as a half-dozen previously announced pacts with the likes of Bow Tie Cinemas and Malco Theatres, as evidence that it has been business as usual even as the merger was moving forward.
They also argue it demonstrates that cinemas continue to embrace its program of commercials and promotional spots for television shows and movies as a way of boosting revenues.
Popular on Variety
“They value the product and the strategy,” said Darryl Schaffer, executive vice president of operations and exhibitor relations at Screenvision. “They like that our pre-show is engaging and impactful.”
Taken as a whole, the contracts with Marcus, Bow Tie and the other deals represent over 2,250 screens nationwide. The average contract length is more than nine years, Schaffer said.
