The era of multiplexes brought a lot of positive changes. It gave moviegoers an opportunity to watch diverse content and also provided them with plush seats, superior sound systems and visual quality. On the flipside, viewers were forced to pay through their nose for the tickets and also snacks. The other disappointing factor in multiplexes, especially those run by PVR, is the number of ads played before the film and during the interval. It’s common for shows to start 10 to 15 minutes late as viewers are compelled to see ads and trailers that they are not really interested in. However, now things are about to change for the better.
As per a report in Money Control, the length of the ads slotted during a show has been cut from 35 minutes to 10 minutes. The 25 minutes of time saved, as a result, in each show will be utilized by the multiplex chain to add more shows in a day.
As per the new arrangement, patrons won’t be bombarded with ads during intervals. Instead, they’ll only be shown trailers of upcoming movies. Renaud Palliere, Chief of The Luxury Collection and Innovation, PVR INOX Limited, revealed, “The advertising revenue loss will be compensated with the additional footfalls by having one more show. Admissions generate ticket sales as well as F&B sales.”
At present, ad-free shows are playing in PVR Inox’s premium formats like Director’s Cut and Insignia in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru etc. Renaud Palliere stated, “In this segment (premium screen), people are time conscious. Also, a lot of these ads were countrywide and were not focused towards that particular audience.”
He also confirmed, “We will soon be opening (ad-free movies) in Pune and very soon, it will follow in other premium screens. Within the next few months, we are looking at extending beyond the current batch.”
However, there’s no confirmation on whether patrons, who frequent the regular screens and IMAX, will get to enjoy films without ads. What probably prompted PVR management to make this decision exclusively for premium screens is that the weak performance of films has not affected footfalls in these theatres as much.
Renaud Palliere continued, “From a luxury point of view, we are not seeing as much impact of the tepid line-up as the rest of the screens because the experience goes beyond movie watching. Luxury in many ways has shown resilience in terms of occupancy which is not fully impacted by the performance of movies.”
As per the Money Control articles, the premium screens make up 15% of the total 1,741 screens across PVR Inox properties. Palliere confirmed that this number will go up to 20% in less than 24 months.
