XDC
EIB
KBC
BNP Paribas Fortis

XDC has begun utilising a EUR 100 million credit facility to finance the rollout of digital cinema in Europe.

The loan, consisting of two tranches of EUR 50 million, has been structured by BNP Paribas Fortis with the participation of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and KBC Bank. XDC has fulfilled all the conditions required in order to proceed with the first drawdown of this loan facility on 21 May 2010

The first tranche will be used initially for the rollout of digital systems at Belgian exhibitors. It will then be used for several digital installations, already planned for the next few weeks, in other countries such as Germany, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

This loan is the first important project finance deal in the European digital cinema industry. It is largely covered by insurance provided by the Belgian Export Credit Agency (ONDD) for 22 European countries.

"Finally, this is the tangible result of 18 months of intensive cooperation between XDC, the three banks and six major Hollywood studios," said Serge Plasch, XDC’s CEO. "With this loan we will now in practical terms be able to finance more than 2,000 screens across Europe."

About XDC:

XDC is the number one digital cinema company in Europe with more than 1.500 committed digital screens, 50% of which have already been deployed. XDC HQ is based in Liege (Belgium) and provides end-to-end digital cinema solutions, including equipment supply, financing (VPF, leasing, etc), training, installation and 24/7 maintenance, as well as content processing and delivery. The company is the first entity to have VPF digital cinema deployment agreements with all six major US studios – Warner, Fox, Universal, Paramount, Sony and Disney – involving a total of

8,000 digital screens in 22 European countries. XDC Digital Content Lab has processed more than 600 titles, and offers a full service including mastering, duplication, key management, 24/7 help desk, extranet tracking and physical/virtual delivery. XDC is also very active in alternative content by offering a full service from booking and promotion to delivery, reporting and box office collection.