Metropolitan Opera Has High Definition Success

MET started multi-city live cinema transmission in 1952

"Dubbed 'Live in HD,' the project launched in December 2006 when the Met beamed Julie Taymor's production of Mozart's Magic Flute to 56 theaters in four countries. This season the number of theaters stands and the number of countries at 46 -- Spain, Portugal and Egypt being the newest to join the group.

Last season, with 1,200 theaters in 43 countries participating, 'Live in HD' sold 2.4 million tickets. And those

(Photo: Ken Howard/MET)

nine transmissions -- there are 12 this year -- took in more than $48 million in B.O., about half of which went to the Met. The Met's latest presentation, Nicholas Hytner's new production of Verdi's Don Carlo, which bowed Dec. 11, rallied some 100,000 opera fans to 850 screens in North America alone. (With foreign and upcoming repeat screenings included, worldwide attendance for this opera is expected to top 280,000.)"

The next "Live in HD" broadcast will be La Fanciulla del West (left) taking place this Saturday, January 8.