Sony pushing 'live' content into theaters
No longer are movie theaters just for movies.
Sony Pictures Entertainment now sees them as almost-live performance venues.
The entertainment company wants to display live events in theaters equipped with digital projectors, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Sony has established a new unit, called The Hot Ticket, to distribute the broadcasts. The company will focus on shooting music concerts, sporting events, and Broadway shows, the paper reported.
New York's Metropolitan Opera showed eight performances with high-definition technology at movie theaters across the country earlier this year, according to the Journal.
According to the Los Angeles Times, an estimated 5,000 of the 38,000 screens in the U.S. and Canada are equipped for digital projection, but more than half could be converted in the next several years.
Apparently, everyone is following Disney's lead. The Mouse company saw big returns with its digital 3D showing of a Hannah Montana concert tour that grossed $70 million, according to the Times. Disney is working on a new 3D concert movie with the Jonas Brothers.
Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. He is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg, or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sandoCNET.
