It is a well-known fact (acknowledged as a positive development in a traditionally male context) that the 2019 women\u2019s soccer World Cup aroused keen interest at all latitudes and that television channels obtained amazing audiences.
Suffice it to remember that in Great Britain 6.1 million spectators watched the game between England and Scotland and as many as 11.7 million the semi-final between England and the USA.
To get a better idea of all this, we can consider the fact that no programme in 2019 obtained such success on British TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is less well known that in the Netherlands, ecstatic about the \u201cOrange Lionesses\u201d race to the final, soccer conquered the big screen. Take, for example, the Path\u00e9 Spuimarkt, a nine-screen complex at the heart of the Hague: Sunday 7 July, one hour before the key match, there wasn\u2019t a single seat left for the game between Holland and the United States, whilst there were plenty for the films that were to be screened more or less at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case of the Netherlands is decidedly interesting, as it is certainly not typical: in general, in the countries for which figures on added content are available, MEDIA Salles has found that sports events are not a widespread \u201cgenre\u201d on the big screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, in some European countries, this sort of screening, which seemed so promising at the very beginning of cinema digitization, is practically non-existent.
As regards a highly popular sport like football, what often discourages exhibitors is the high cost of purchasing screening rights, which are so expensive that they are not covered by ticket prices, also obliged to compete with free viewing on the small screen.
This \u2013 according to some \u2013 is why a lot of beer should also be sold: but is this really the sort of viewing we want in cinemas?
There is also the factor \u2013 pointed out by Italian exhibitors, for example \u2013 that the legal framework is out-dated and far from clear, making the organization of this type of screenings particularly complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But returning to the Netherlands: whilst here, too, sport is certainly not the most popular of added content, the screening of the World Cup finals is not an isolated case. As we write, Path\u00e9 is offering the twentieth phase of the Tour de France at the cinema, something that doesn\u2019t even happen in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This sort of screening is comprised in what Dutch exhibitors \u2013 from the big groups such as Path\u00e9, Vue and Kinepolis, to independents like the Plaza Futura in Eindhoven or the Heerenstraat Theater in Wageningen – generally refer to as \u201cspecials\u201d or \u201cevents\u201d.
This is a very broad category, including added content in the strict sense (from sports to the arts to culture), but also gaming on the big screen or even films offered according to the event formula on the big screen, for one or two evenings only, or as part of a theme series. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case of biographies is significant: currently, several cinemas are offering mini-series of biographical documentaries, including, for example, \u201cVeearts Maaike\u201d, based on the figure of a young vet, and \u201cDiego Maradona\u201d.
There are also special evenings, frequently addressing female audiences (Ladies\u2019 Nights) or combining the screening of a film with dinner, as in the \u201cViva la Pizza\u201d offer from the Gigant in Apeldoorn (where a screening of \u201cA casa tutti bene\u201d is programmed for the 26 July).
If, on the one hand, the variety of offer is proof of how dynamic the sector is in the Netherlands (where audiences have more than doubled since the \u2018Nineties), on the other hand, those who, like us, like to record a clear account of the various phenomena marking cinema-going, can\u2019t help noting some confusion here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So let\u2019s get back to some of the more \u201ctraditional\u201d added content, i.e. of a cultural nature, such as the visual arts, ballet, theatre, opera and music in the widest sense of the term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this field, the Netherlands can boast a leading role: Andr\u00e9 Rieu, a musician beloved throughout the world, whose performances are broadcast on thousands of screens, attracting record audiences, is in fact Dutch.
On Dutch territory alone (17 million inhabitants), the 2019 edition of his famous Maastrict concert from 26 to 27 July, was booked by 110 cinemas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As regards ballet and opera, performances by the Metropolitan and the Bolshoi are brought to Dutch audiences thanks to Path\u00e9 Live, and those of the Royal Opera House thanks to ABC, until now.
The latter company, founded in 2004 as a distributor of films, then added a sector devoted to added content, including performances by the Royal Opera House, productions from Picturehouse, now Trafalgar and a selection of the main \u201cexhibition based art films\u201d.
Alongside those from Exhibition on Screen, Italian productions by Nexo Digital enjoy pride of place, including, in the first ten months of 2019, \u201cThe Water Lilies by Monet\u201d, \u201cTintoretto. A Rebel in Venice\u201d, \u201cKlimt & Schiele \u2013 Eros and Psy- che\u201d, \u201cThe Prado Museum. A Collection of Wonders\u201d and \u201cGauguin in Tahiti. Paradise Lost\u201d.
Lastly, Dutch screens may well be seeing more of Italy on their screens next winter: the latest news is that A Contracorriente Films has signed an agreement with Rai Com for the distribution in Holland of performances by La Scala, starting, of course, with \u201cTosca\u201d which will be<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It is a well-known fact (acknowledged as a positive development in a traditionally male context) that the 2019 women\u2019s soccer World Cup aroused keen interest at all latitudes and that television channels obtained amazing audiences. Suffice it to remember that in Great Britain 6.1 million spectators watched the game between England and Scotland and as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101014,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow3e7fCw:productID":"","_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[84],"class_list":["post-38523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-senza-categoria","tag-focus-on-italy"],"yoast_head":"\n