• by Wayne Friedman , May 23, 2023

In-theater advertising company Screenvision says industry attendance is now at 80% to 85% of its levels pre-2019 -- and things are looking up.

“We are more relevant and vital than ever as a platform,” said John Partilla, chief executive officer of Screenvision at a pre-upfront meeting with Television News Daily.

In contrast to other declining media, Partilla said in-theater business for marketers looks much better -- especially “as linear impressions continue to decline.”

As a result, Christine Martino, chief revenue officer of Screenvision, says there is continued growth in advertising volume at the company -- now “5% to 10%” of the levels of 2019 for its in-theater pre-show.

Partilla also highlights the rising importance of “attention” metrics. Cinema viewing has a 75% “active” attention score for its video advertising, according to Amplified Intelligence. This is between two and six times that of TV, CTV, social media, and digital.

Screenvision says marketers continue to return to the big screen, with automotive advertisers remaining the top in-theater advertiser.

Not surprisingly, close behind automotive advertisers are premium video streaming marketers -- which many assume are the main competition to traditional movie theaters. The list here includes all the major premium video platforms: Amazon, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Peacock, Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max.

Martino says 25% of its inventory is currently bought on programmatic demand-side platforms including The Trade Desk and private marketplaces.

For those buying into Screenvision’s pre-show, where marketers run their messages, the company says marketers have seen on average a 10% incremental sales lift and $2.33 return on ad spend (ROAS) for recent campaigns in cinema, according to research from Cinelytics.

Currently, Screenvision reaches 40 million consumers monthly, as the company steadily returns to 2019 levels. Screenvision also sees it as a positive sign that Amazon and Apple each want to spend $1 billion or so on a full slate of movies per year.

“We know we can grow our audience,” says Martino.

In its upfront presentation Tuesday, Screenvision said it is forming two new specialty cinema advertising networks: Screenvision Media’s Black Cinema Advertising Network, with more than 3,800 screens and Screenvision’s Hispanic Cinema Advertising Network, with more than 3,700 screens.

Screenvision is partnering with TikTok for “TikTok on the Big Screen,” a customized 60-second segment during Screenvision’s pre-show, where marketers can activate against curated TikTok content.

The Screenvision Media cinema advertising network is on 13,500 screens in more than 2000 locations in 50 states and 94% of U.S. markets.