Wide Eye Media
| Industry | Cinema Advertising |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Dublin |
|
Key people
|
Dermot Hanrahan |
Wide Eye Media (formerly Carlton Screen Advertising) is the main cinema advertising company in Ireland. The company is owned by Dermot Hanrahan.
The company, as Carlton Screen Advertising, was established in 1996 when Carlton Communications purchased the cinema advertising company Cinema Media (formerly RSA), then owned by a venture capital company backed by Shroeders who had bought Rank Screen Advertising from the then beleaguered Rank Group and renamed it eponymously. The Rank Organisation, smarting from a disastrous deal to buy Mecca Bingo Halls, was forced to sell the family silver and first Rank Screen Advertising then Rank Films were sold off followed later by even their prized Odeon circuit itself. Shroeders did spectacularly well out of the deal to buy Rank Screen Advertising as they netted a multi-million pound profit in just 3 years.However the high purchase price and the increasingly onerous terms of business with the cinema exhibitors led to its eventual sale by ITV to Cineworld and Odeon.
On 2 February 2004, Carlton Communications merged with Granada plc to create ITV plc, following which the Carlton name was dropped from all other uses.
Until its break-up in 2008, Carlton Screen Advertising was the largest cinema advertising company in the UK. A tough advertising climate in the mid-2000s saw it struggle to make a profit and it was sold on when ITV made the decision to focus on core assets.
The company's UK and Irish operations were separated in mid-2008, when Cineworld Group plc and Odeon Cinemas acquired a 65% majority stake in the UK operation. On 1 January 2009, this was rebranded as Digital Cinema Media.
The Irish operation remained as Carlton Screen Advertising, and continued to be wholly owned by ITV plc until May 2009, when it was sold to an Irish Media group with Media Entrepreneur Dermot Hanrahan becoming the Chairman. It continued to use the Carlton branding and on-screen ident until 6 March 2014.
On 6 March 2014, as part of a €2 million investment, Carlton Screen Advertising rebranded themselves as Wide Eye Media, which uses digital technology instead of 35mm, which will be used in their 643 screens across Ireland
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