Gaumont Distribution Signs Long-Term Digital Cinema Deployment Agreement with AAM

Arts Alliance Media (AAM), Europe's leading digital cinema company, has just signed a nonexclusive long-term agreement with Gaumont Distribution.

Gaumont Distribution joins DistribFilms, MK2 and EUROPACORP in the group of pioneering French distributors to sign a long-term contract with a third party to distribute their films in cinemas. Under the terms of this agreement, whenever a Gaumont film is screened in an AAM-equipped cinema, Gaumont will deliver it in a digital format, and pay a Virtual Print Fee (VPF).

The contract's terms comply with the law on the digital conversion of cinemas. AAM's deal with Gaumont Distribution provides further validation for the VPF model of digital cinema conversion, and constitutes a major breakthrough in French distributors' support for this system.

According to Gaumont and AAM, a deal of this kind demonstrates a common desire to make the transition to digital as quickly as possible – in accordance with the wishes of the technical industry and supervisory bodies.

Arts Alliance Media is the only third-party investor to announce long-term VPF agreements with French distributors, as well as American studios, with whom they've already been under contract for several years. AAM's deployment currently stands at over 3,000 signed cinemas in Europe, of which over 1,400 screens are already operational.