Nocturnal Wenchy

EFC AFRICA HITS CINEMAS
Ster-Kinekor & EFC AFRICA announce exclusive broadcast partnership

I attended the press release at the absolutely luxurious Prestige Cinema at The Zone in Rosebank this morning. Naturally I needed a picture with the contenders! McLellan vs Kruger… since I am a Kruger. LOL

Johannesburg (South Africa) – EFC AFRICA 28, taking place on Thursday, 27 March, will be screened at select Ster-Kinekor cinemas around the country for the first time, with an eruption of high-definition (HD), larger-than-life MMA action on the big screen.

In a partnership that has been in development for months, EFC AFRICA and Ster-Kinekor announced today (12 March) that fight fans throughout South Africa will be able to watch all 13 bouts from every upcoming EFC AFRICA event, live.

The partnership is launched on the back of Ster-Kinekor having completed the digital conversion in each of its cinemas. Substantial investment in the highest quality, live satellite broadcast equipment and a continuously tested and monitored signal will ensure a stable live broadcast of all the fight action, in crystal clear high definition.

The new format promises fans a big screen, live cinema experience, using the most advanced cinema broadcast platform available worldwide.

“We’re excited to be offering fight fans the chance to see our events in such an awesome, larger than life setting,” said EFC AFRICA president Cairo Howarth. “Ster-Kinekor’s state of the art, digital HD setup makes it an incredible experience, from the first fight to the last. From 01 May, fans in Bloemfontein will be able to attend the cinema too, which we’ve been trying to organise for some time. Ster-Kinekor is leading the way with HD broadcast technology, and we’re incredibly proud to be associated with this exciting project.”

Doug Place, Marketing Executive of Ster-Kinekor Theatres, is equally delighted with the announcement of this new partnership. “Cinema is an evolving sector and we are in an exciting place right now. Resulting from our massive investment in technology and the digital upgrade, doors are opening for us to consider more alternative partnerships such as this one with EFC AFRICA.

“The digital conversion also means that the EFC fights on the big screen will be an awesome viewing experience for the fans. Watching all the live action in larger-than-life high definition is better than it has ever been seen before, and makes for a fantastic night out at the cinema!

“We are focused on continually improving the consumer experience and introducing fresh new offerings and alternative content that tap into new markets and what appeals to those audiences. It is these new initiatives that will ensure that the path to ongoing and future growth in the cinema industry is sustained,” comments Place.

The live Ster-Kinekor EFC AFRICA experience is to be made available in stages, with additional cinemas coming online for future events.

Fans can enjoy the EFC AFRICA 28 HD, big screen experience at the following Ster-Kinekor cinemas:

• Ster-Kinekor Fourways (Johannesburg)
• Ster-Kinekor East Rand Mall (Johannesburg)
• Ster-Kinekor Gateway (Durban)
• Ster-Kinekor Cavendish (Cape Town)

EFC AFRICA 29, taking place on 01 May, will see the addition of cinemas at:

• Ster-Kinekor Brooklyn (Pretoria)
• Ster-Kinekor The Zone (Johannesburg)
• Ster-Kinekor Cradlestone (West Rand)
• Ster-Kinekor Maponya (Soweto)
• Ster-Kinekor Cape Gate (Cape Town)
• Ster-Kinekor Tyger Valley (Cape Town)
• Ster-Kinekor Mimosa (Bloemfontein)
• Ster-Kinekor Greenstone (Edenvale)

Bookings for EFC AFRICA 28 at select Ster-Kinekor cinemas open on Friday, 14 March. Tickets cost R120, Ster-Kinekor SKCLUB, Discovery Vitality or Edgars club movie card benefits will apply. To find out more, visit www.sterkinekor.com.

Avoid the queues by booking online, by calling Ticketline on 082 16789 or you can book at the box office.  You can also secure your seats by downloading the Ster-Kinekor App on your Nokia, Samsung Android, iPhone and Blackberry smart phone, to book from your mobile. To find out what other exciting promotions Ster-Kinekor has on offer, follow @SKTheatres on Twitter or Facebook at Ster-Kinekor Theatres.

EFC AFRICA 28, presented by BetXchange.com, takes place on Thursday, 27 March 2014 at the Coca-Cola Dome, Johannesburg. All athletes competing at EFC AFRICA 28 will wear black armbands in honour of deceased athlete Booto Guylain.

About EFC AFRICA^® – The Extreme Fighting Championship^®

Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, EFC AFRICA is the African continent’s biggest, as well as a world leading, mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation. The Extreme Fighting Championship produces 10 live events annually and has sold out some of the biggest arenas in Africa. With over 120 athletes exclusively contracted to the organisation from countries such as Angola, the DRC, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa and both sides of the Sahara desert, EFC AFRICA showcases the greatest warriors on the continent. EFC AFRICA events are broadcast live in over 110 countries around the world on nine television networks in multiple languages. EFC AFRICA programming is available weekly in 600+ million TV households worldwide, making it one of the most recognisable MMA brands on the planet. Leading retailers stock a full catalogue of best-selling EFC AFRICA DVDs, branded merchandise and clothing and equipment ranges.

For more information, visit www.efcafrica.com, or follow us at facebook.com/efcafrica and Twitter: twitter.com/EFCAFRICA

About Ster-Kinekor Theatres

Ster-Kinekor Theatres is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Primedia Group and is the largest movie exhibitor on the African continent. To most South Africans, the word ‘movies’ is synonymous with the name ‘Ster-Kinekor’. The company operates 55 commercial cinema complexes in South Africa, with five international sites based in Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The cinema chain’s sites house more than 440 large-scale screens, just over 68000 seats and the largest 3D footprint featuring more than 120 state-of-the-art 3D screens across the country.

As the industry leader, Ster-Kinekor has pioneered cinema concepts such as Cinema Nouveau, one of the world’s largest dedicated art-house multiplex circuits, and the luxurious Cine Prestige theatres, the first ‘business class’ cinema experience in South Africa. It boasts the only cinema on the continent that is fitted with the advanced Dolby Atmos sound system (at Gateway in Durban); and has headed the return of The IMAX® Experience, with the opening of the IMAX® Theatre at Gateway in 2013. As one of South Africa’s most loved brands, it is Ster-Kinekor’s ongoing mission to become synonymous with the unrivalled magic of the cinema experience, by providing ‘Great Moments at Their Greatest’. During 2013, the company embarked on a massive roll-out project to convert and equip every cinema with the very latest in digital projection and sound technology. The result of this upgrade is that every cinema now boasts state-of-the-art cinema technology that encompasses 2K and 4K digital projection and 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems. The award-winning SK App, which is downloadable on all smart phone operating systems, is interactive, user-friendly and feature-rich, and recently recorded its 1.3-millionth download. The new-look SK Club loyalty programme rewards members with redeemable points when they swipe their card when buying movie tickets or catering. Combined with industry leading loyalty programmes from Edcon and Discovery Vitality, these give Ster-Kinekor a strong consumer value proposition and competitive advantage.

As the market leader, Ster-Kinekor aims to spearhead the advancement of cinema across both South Africa and the rest of Africa, to ensure that consumers continue to experience movies as they were made to be seen – on the big screen.See more at: www.sterkinekor.com.