The Media Leader Podcast

Why cinema is becoming more prominent on AV plans — with DCM's Karen Stacey

Apr 7, 2025

50:47

At the tail end of March, Digital Cinema Media (DCM), the UK’s largest cinema ad sales house, hosted its annual upfronts in the Leicester Square Odeon.

It was a way to celebrate cinema’s strong start to the year and look ahead to the 2025 and 2026 film slates, but also an opportunity for brands to consider whether to position the channel more prominently on their AV plans.

Among the presentations, new research from DCM found that cinema is well-placed to drive price premiums – that is, consumers were willing to pay on average 12% more for a brand that advertised in cinemas than if it had advertised on other media channel. It's a finding that could prove useful in an era marked by continued macroeconomic uncertainty and the desire for brands to retain pricing power.

DCM CEO Karen Stacey joined host Jack Benjamin to discuss the research and unpack what has driven the sales house's 33% revenue growth in Q1. Stacey also explored where cinema belongs on media plans today and how the channel can grow its share of adspend.

Highlights:

1:30: Stacey's career path, advice for leaders and priorities for Wacl

14:59: DCM's strong start to 2025 – what's behind the growth in revenue and cinema admissions?

24:52: The opportunity for cinema to embrace programmatic

30:45: Will box office and admissions ever get back to pre-Covid levels?

34:59: How cinema drives strong price premiums

Related articles:

Cinema drives up price premium, research suggests

Bridget Jones leads 20% growth in February box office

Are all ‘views’ created equal? With TikTok, DCM, Total Media and Mindlab

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Thanks to our production partners Trisonic for editing this episode.