ICAA Conference

Draft agenda and registration forms available for download under "ICAA Conference" tab

HOYTS to go IPO ?

SYDNEY, March 4 (Reuters) - Australia's largest private equity firm, Pacific Equity Partners, is considering selling or floating its Hoyts cinema chain, the latest in a string of potential private equity exits, a source familiar with the situation said.

Australian press reports have put the value of the cinema chain, the country's second largest, at up to A$1 billion ($905 million).

Talks with investment banks are at an early stage and no advisers have been appointed yet, the source told Reuters on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the matter is confidential.

Pacific Equity Partners did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The source said than an exit could happen in the second half of the year.

With stock markets recovering over the past year, private equity firms are starting to look to exit some of their investments.

Last year saw just three exits by private equity firms in Australia, and industry players expect a pick up in investment and divestment activity this year.

Hoyts manages about 450 screens in 40 cinema complexes in Australia and 9 cinema complexes in New Zealand. It is the largest independent film distributor in the two countries, according to Pacific Equity Partners' web site.

It also operates Val Morgan, the dominant provider of cinema advertising in Australia and New Zealand. (Reporting by Victoria Thieberger; editing by Balazs Koranyi)

AFACT appeal iiNet Decision

34 Film companies today filed an appeal against the judgment of the Federal Court in the case against the Australian internet service provider, iiNet.

Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT), on behalf of the film
companies, said there were good grounds of appeal from a judgment that has left an unworkable online environment for content creators and content providers and represents a serious threat to Australia’s digital economy.

AFACT Executive Director Neil Gane said the judgment was out of step with well established copyright law in Australia. “The court found large scale copyright infringements, that iiNet knew they were occurring, that iiNet had the contractual and technical capacity to stop them and iiNet did nothing about them,” he said.

Mr Gane also said the decision rendered the safe harbour regime ineffective.

”This decision allows iiNet to pay lip service to provisions that were designed to
encourage ISPs to prevent copyright infringements in return for the safety the law provided.

“If this decision stands, the ISPs have all the protection without any of the
responsibility.”

Home Ent "windows" debate heats up over "Alice"

With some predictability Disney under new studio boss, Rich Ross,  have again made a grab for reducing the window between cinema release and home entertainment release. Having backed away from releasing UP to DVD on a reduced window after exhibs threatend to pull Christmas Carol, Disney are trying again with the upcoming ALICE IN WONDERLAND

The move has exhibitors up in arms around the world with UK exhibs saying they'll dump the film out of their programming schedule if Disney proceed with their plan to release ALICE to DVD a mere 12 weeks after the theatrical opening. Two of the leading UK circuits have already taken ALICE trailers off their playlist and are no longer accepting bookings for the film.

Disney's distribution chiefs, Bob Chapek and Chuck Viane, have flown in from Hollywood to talk to British exhibitors.

iiNet Piracy decision leaves Australian film business on the back foot

The finding by Justice Cowdroy that Oz ISP iiNet has no obligation to protect copyright works like movies and TV shows from pirating by iiNet subsribers points to the gap between exisiting law and the realities of an online world. Europe, the UK and the US are all now considering or legislating variations on a "three strikes and you're disconnected" policy where ISP's will have to notify illegal downloaders that their activities are illegal and will result in being disconnected from the network.

The right for content creators and owners to receive a fair return on their work is at the heart of a sustainable national film business from ushers to actors and every person employed in between. A failure to protect the value of our national film business threatens the viability of every independent cinema from mainstream to arthouse.

With our laws apparently inadequate to the practicalities of making and distributing films in an online world, it is clearly now time for our politicians to join us in working to ensure that Australia does not become a old media footnote in a new media world.

Cinema surpasses DVD sales in US - To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of the death of cinema have been greatly exagerrated, a fact underlined in a report from the Wall Street Journal. Quoting Adams Media Research, the WSJ reports that US cinemas sales have overtaken DVD for the first time since 2002.

In shrugging off the global economic downturn and now fighting back the inroads from home entertainment, the exhibition business has proved once again that audiences want to experience films first at the cinema. For independent cinemas, focussing on customer service, presentation and connecting with their local communities, this is a trend that has seen 2010 open with a bang as audiences vote with their feet and head to see Summer holiday films at their local ICAA cinema.

Fair Work, Modern Award Sytem now in place - If you're a cinema operator in Australia you are now operating under the new Fair Work system. For members looking for more detail on the the implications of the Modern Award and the impact on cinemas, log in to see information and comments on our 'industrial relations' board.

ICAA Conference 2010 - Save the dates - Tuesday 23rd, Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th of March in Melbourne. Save the date in your diaries. Draft program and travel and accomodation packages will be posted in the New Year

Record audience attendences but keep an eye out for film theft. - Neil Gane from AFACT has congratulated ICAA members for their support in combating film theft and has suggested a number of ways that member cinemas can be more pro-active in ensuring that your location can heighten security against film theft. For more information log in and see the "AFACT" section of the site.

IPAF completes 'cinemas' education unit - Working at the suggestion of indpendent cinema operators, the Intellectual Property Awareness Foundation have complete a specialist cinemas unit that will begin rolling out over the next few months. Click on the "combat film piracy" link for more information.