Eurocinema

CHANNEL NAME: Eurocinema, U.S. & Canada

World Screen Weekly, July 20, 2006

LAUNCH DATE: It first launched in 2004 by offering individual VOD titles through TVN’s Independents package, however due to strong interest from cable operators, Eurocinema unveiled the full stand-alone VOD channel service in October 2005.

OWNERSHIP: EuroMedia Holdings Corp., which is a publicly owned company.

NUMBER OF SUBSCRIBERS: 10 million homes in the U.S. and Canada. Eurocinema can now be found in over 150 markets across the U.S. on Adelphia, Charter, Time Warner, Mediacom, Bresnan Communications, Buckeye Communications and Atlantic Broadband, as well as on Shaw Communications in Canada.

DESCRIPTION: Eurocinema is a movie channel dedicated to award-winning European and international films. It is an on-demand service provided by cable and broadband operators.

CHAIRMAN & CEO: Sebastien Perioche

DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS: Jean Christophe de Saint Leger

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: Every month, Eurocinema offers a selection of two-hour themed blocks available at $3.95 each. Each film block is accompanied by commentary on the directors, actors, producers and other relevant points of interest. One or two short films tied together thematically also accompany each feature film.

“We’re trying to focus on European films that have not been seen or had very little exposure in the U.S.,” says Sebastien Perioche, the chairman and CEO of Eurocinema. “So we take films that were critically acclaimed at the European film festivals and we bring them to the American audience.”

Some of the most viewed movies on the channel have been Marcello Mastroianni, I Remember; My Mother’s Smile;Nostalghia by Andrei Tarkovsky; Kaputt Mundi starring Monica Bellucci; and Dario Argento’s Sindrome Stendahl.

Eurocinema’s programming department is based in Paris. “We acquire our films all over Europe,” says Perioche. “We try to look for the best, and it doesn’t matter which country it’s coming from.

“When people go to Eurocinema they buy a programming block, which is basically a feature film and attached to it one or two short films. We do a wrap-around with the host, and the story behind it. Basically we tell the audience, ‘Today you’re going to be watching this movie, and this is what’s behind this movie, and [this is] the relation between the short film and the feature film.”

Perioche has plans to produce more original programming for the channel. “We are talking about doing a show that will offer some information about the upcoming programming on Eurocinema as well as information and interviews with directors,” he says. “We’re planning to have this available in the next six months or so.”

Eurocinema management is also looking beyond the North American market. “The plan is to build a digital library of high-quality, European and international films in the U.S. that people can access on demand,” says Perioche. “We are also expanding outside of the U.S. and Canada, into Asia, and Latin America, but that will be a little later on. We believe there’s a potential for this channel outside the U.S."

WHAT’S NEW: Movies that will be premiering this summer and in the fall include: Amantes, set in ’50s Spain and based on a true story; and Souli, the 2005 Paris Film Festival-nominated film directed by Alexander Abela and starring Eduardo Noriega (Che Guevara).

WEBSITE: www.eurocinema.com