Reid Leaves Top Spot At Screenvision

The management turnover at Screenvision continued Friday with the announcement that Travis Reid is stepping down as CEO, although as an investor, he will continue to sit on the board of directors. The board is searching for a successor; there’s no word yet if an interim CEO will be appointed.

According to Screenvision Reid, who took the top spot at the company in October 2010, is returning to California to pursue a new career opportunity. His departure comes just a week after Screenvision’s upfront presentation to advertisers and media buyers, and two months after Screenvision and competitor NCM announced they were scrapping their plans for a merger because of regulatory hurdles.

Somewhat more ominously, on the heels of the failed merger, one of Screenvision’s theater affiliates, Santikos Theatres, defected to NCM, fueling speculation that other affiliates might also consider jumping ship.

For the most part, NCM has focused on forging deals with larger theater operators, beginning with its founding members AMC, Cinemark and Regal. Screenvision staked its business on aggregating smaller circuits, with theaters in smaller markets. Between them, the two companies have already signed up the majority of theater operators in the country -- meaning the only way either can expand its footprint now is by luring away affiliates from the other.

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Still, Screenvision has moved aggressively to bolster its offerings for advertisers. At its 2015 upfront presentation on May 7, it unveiled Project Lynx, a new initiative to enhance cinema advertising’s capabilities for audience targeting. Lynx incorporates third-party consumer purchase data and data collected through mobile technology, including geo-fencing and beacons, to give advertisers a more precise view of the cinema ad audience.

Screenvision also announced a partnership with SITO Mobile that will allow advertisers to re-target mobile ads messages to theatergoers’ devices after they leave the theater. The company also unveiled new audience targeting based on movie titles and genres, rather than simple MPAA ratings.

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