Cinema broadcasts of plays and musicals are only a “minimal threat” to touring work and have a positive impact on theatre companies, according to a landmark new study.
The research – a joint effort between Arts Council England, UK Theatre, the Society of London Theatre and AEA Consulting – asked theatre companies, producers and audiences about the rise of event cinema and watching theatre online.
In recent years, several theatres across the UK have raised concerns that so-called live-to-digital may lead audiences to abandon going to the theatre for the cinema alternative.
But of 243 companies surveyed, 38% said the advent of live-to-digital has had a positive impact, compared with only 13% who said it had had a negative impact.
Cheaper tickets and convenience were found to be the biggest motivations for audiences to attend event cinema screenings rather than live performances.
Two-thirds of audience respondents gave “less travel” as a reason to attend event cinema, while 40% cited less expensive tickets. Just under 40% said that the live performance being sold out was motivation to go to a broadcast instead.
A third said event cinema was more engaging than the live experience.
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