Palace Amusement Company Limited is leveraging live sports and alternative content to unlock new revenue streams as it confronts declining attendance and persistent challenges in the cinema industry.

Under a new partnership with Trend Media and Caribbean Premiere Sports Limited (CPSL) — operators of Rush Sports and Rush Prime TV — cinema-goers, starting in May, will be able to view live sporting events and premium lifestyle programming in theatres.

The initiative forms part of Palace’s broader strategy to diversify its offerings beyond traditional film while expanding the use of its existing infrastructure.

“We are happy about this partnership as it delivers on our plan to introduce alternative content and attract new audiences — people who might not otherwise visit the cinema,” said director and Marketing Manager Melanie Graham in an interview with the Jamaica Observer ahead of a launch event on Thursday. “We expect it to generate additional revenue. It’s early to quantify the impact, but sports is a proven crowd-puller and having games on the big screen tends to be a whole different experience.”

The start of these sporting events happening during Palace’s downtime, as it looks to cushion financial pressures, Graham said will only auger well for business as the company taps into a different segment of the population that enjoys sporting events.

“This is new for us, but it comes as a relatively low-cost opportunity that we can tap into immediately. In the meantime, we continue to assess other strategies that will bring more patrons to the cinema, including free ticket promotions and birthday specials,” she added.

General Manager of CPSL Michael Look Tong, further attesting to the pulling power of sports, said the decision to put games and other lifestyle content on the big screen was first solidified following a successful live showing of the Jamaica and Trinidad World Cup qualifiers in cinema last year.

“This showing came a little after Hurricane Melissa, but we were still able to pull out a decent crowd. Our content is already available on TV and digital platforms, but the cinema setting offers a unique, immersive experience,” he said.

Beyond Formula 1 Grand Prix and UEFA Champions League matches, the partnership could expand to include IPL and CPL cricket games, the NFL and Diamond League athletics.

CPSL, which operates four channels — three dedicated to sports — currently reaches about 8,000 households across the region. The cinema initiative is, however, expected to broaden that audience as it grows viewership outside of traditional mediums.

“Outside of Palace in Jamaica, we are also doing this cinema partnership with Barbados through their Olympus theatres and MovieTowne in Trinidad. We could also later move into Guyana as MovieTowne is also there,” Look Tong further said to the BusinessWeek.

Concerning lifestyle content, CPSL plans to collaborate with entertainment partners such as the Hallmark Channel, an American cable television network, with ambitions to host premieres and red-carpet-style events.

“We want to double down on opportunities in this area, but we will speak more about that later in the year as we seek to do like a red carpet event for one of the channels’ new movies,” he stated.

Trend media, for its role in the new partnership, will provide sales and advertising services.

The upcoming games to be first aired at the larger Carib 5 cinema on May 3, 2026 is expected to be carried over to other cinemas in Palace’s circuit.

“We have the space, and we definitely have the screen and sound, and so we’re hoping that we can also push the viewing of these games over to our Sunshine Palace cinema in Portmore sometime soon,” Assistant Managing Director Steven Cooke said.

The strategic pivot comes at a critical time for Palace, as it continues to navigate persistent challenges since the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial pressures for the company further intensified after hurricane damage last October forced the permanent closure of its Montego Bay multiplex in St James, eliminating a significant revenue stream.

Alongside the sports roll-out, Palace is pursuing a slate of other low-cost diversification measures aimed at increasing per-patron spending and generating incremental revenue. These include enhanced in-seat concession services and a broader mix of alternative programming, such as anime content and special event screenings.

Palace’s latest move, reflecting a wider industry shift towards experiential entertainment, sees cinema operators globally now leveraging non-traditional content to drive attendance and improve margins.

While near-term conditions remain tight, the company is betting on these initiatives — combined with a stronger pipeline of major film releases later in 2026 — to support its recovery. Management also continues to prioritise cost control, debt management, and liquidity preservation as it works to stabilise operations.

For the six months ended December 31, 2025, the company’s directors reported a wider net loss of $115 million, which they largely attributed to hurricane-related disruptions and declining cinema attendance, both of which have weighed heavily on the business.

Melanie Graham ,marketing manager at Palace Amusement and Michael Look Tong, general manager of CPSL solidifies the recent partnership of both companies with a handshake following a launch event held at the Carib 5 cinema in Cross Roads on Thursday. Sharing in the moment (From left) are Douglas Graham, Chairman and managing director at Palace and Steven Cooke, assistant managing director as well as Kishner Cowell, Group head of digital sales at Trend Media and Clayton lynch, commercial content lead (Photos:Karl Mclarty)

LOOK TONG…our content is already available on TV and digital platforms, but the cinema setting offers a unique, immersive experience

GRAHAM…we are happy about this partnership as it delivers on our plan to introduce alternative content and attract new audiences —people who might not otherwise visit the cinema