MUMBAI: Apart from the COVID-19 crisis, the single screen sector is plagued by several issues that have come into sharp focus in the webinar organized by Comscore, the global box office measurement leader and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the apex chamber of commerce and industry in India.

Some macro level facts were put forth to set the context for the single screen sector in India. India has about 7000 single screens which contribute to a lion’s share of the annual foot falls at cinemas, which is over 1 Billion (100 crores). Even though multiplexes account for a higher share of revenues, it is single screens that draw staggering number of audiences in India and despite this they are facing a huge threat to their very survival.

In this webinar, challenges for single screens were discussed. Access to good content is one of the major issues with single screens. This is mainly because of two factors. First, the amenities and technologies at single screens are not at par with multiplex screens. So, they need capital infusion to improve the conditions. The other biggest factor is the transparency. If single screens can embrace transparency and participate in a central box office measurement mechanism, that can inspire more confidence in distributors. Addressing these two factors could encourage distributors to offer more favorable revenue sharing terms. Transparency can also help single screens to access institutional loans to invest in renewals and up-gradation of their cinemas. 

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Low screen density was also discussed and government incentives and ease of policies were sought to improve screen density in India. Low per capita cinema consumption is also linked to low screen density in India which also leads to piracy of cinema content. Also, average ticket pricing is one of the lowest in the world which presents a strong case for flexi pricing in various states. Hurdles in getting cinema licensing from multiple agencies were also discussed.

The panelists opined that the single screens should most ideally utilize this cooling period to restructure and improve their cinemas, engage in focused discussions with distributors to fix other relevant operational issues, adopt best practices like transparency to inspire distributor confidence to access and offer good content to the patrons and also equip with all the safety measures that would be required in the post Covid-19 scenario. The panel expressed confidence that Cinema will bounce back and OTT would not be a threat to the Big Screen experience.

UFO, the digital cinema solution provider, offered to work with the exhibitors to access content at more favorable terms and also help equip them with computerized ticketing / m-ticketing at their properties with features capable of eliminating the scope for human contact in the post covid -19 era. Comscore on its part has committed to provide a robust box office measurement system as it is doing across the world to effectively bring in transparency that is so interlinked to several other maladies that single screens are confronted with.

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Pankaj Jaysinh, the COO of UFO Moviez distribution, summed up the action plan on this occasion, “When the fishermen are not at sea, they are repairing their nets”.

The panel constituted of eminent industry leaders such as Shaji N. Karun, Chairman, Kerala State Film Development Corporation and Award Winning Filmmaker and Cinematographer; Rahul Puri, MD, Mukta Arts, Rajesh Mishra, CEO, UFO Moviez/Nova Cinemas; Rajan Gupta, President, National Association of Motion Pictures Exhibitors, New Delhi and Owner, Liberty Cinema; ArunMehra, Proprietor, AUM Movies; VinayChoksey, Proprietor, AUM Exhibitors, Mumbai; RubanMathivanan, Managing Partner, G.K. Cinemas, Chennai; Divas Gupta, Novelty Cinema, Lucknow; Arturo Guillen, EVP & Global Managing Director, Comscore Movies; and RajkumarAkella, MD-India, Comscore Movies. This panel was moderated by AkshayeRathi, MD, Rathi Cinemas. This webinar was attended by the film exhibitors, distributors, producers besides members of media and film enthusiasts from across India. 

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