New Delhi: PVR Cinemas on Friday said it has signed an agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to screen certain live matches of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 across the country.
The cinema chain will screen all matches played by India as well as the semi-finals and final at its 75 cinemas in over 35 cities.
In some states, cinemas are still operating under restricted capacity and hours. States like Telangana, Rajasthan and Karnataka are the only exceptions that are allowing cinemas to operate at 100% capacity. The company said that the screening will help bring back viewers.
Company CEO Gautam Dutta said, “Watching movies and watching cricket in India is a shared entertainment experience. They complement each other.”
Earlier this week, multiplex chain Inox Leisure Ltd said that it will also screen Team India’s matches in the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup in its theatres. Inox said that depending on the market, there could be different pricing for its live matches. ₹2009 in Tier 3 city ₹500 in big metros.
The pandemic has put a major strain on multiplex chains across the country, many of which have been closed for extended periods due to Covid-19 protocols. In July, PVR announced that it had incurred a net loss of ₹225.73 crore in the April-June quarter.
In May, rating agency Crisil had said, for multiplexes, a second wave would propel the recovery into the next financial year. It added that multiplex operators (which account for nearly half of the industry’s revenue) are expected to suffer cash losses in the current financial year as well. “He had shed blood ₹900 crore in the financial year 2021, as compared to a cash profit of ₹785 crore in the financial year 2019-20,” said Nitesh Jain, director, Crisil Ratings.
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