Hoyts is the largest single-brand movie exhibitor in Australia and New Zealand, and is one of the world’s leading entertainment companies. Hoyts has been a trusted brand for Australian cinema-goers for over 100 years, and continues to deliver cutting-edge experiences to hundreds of thousands of Australians who watch movies on Hoyts’ 497 screens across the nation. Hoyts is owned by Wanda Film Holding, China’s largest private sector cinema operator, which is listed on the Shenzhen stock exchange.

Edwards + Co provided legal advice to the Hoyts’ group for many years, working particularly closely with the cinema technology group on their commercial and operational needs. Amongst the many matters we worked on with Hoyts were:

• Negotiation of key contracts for network operations in Australia and New Zealand, including with Telstra and Optus for wholesale network acquisition arrangements for the successful connection and operation of cinema sites;
• Negotiation, resolution and documentation of matters with respect to fixed and mobile network contracts, to support the network of cinemas in Australia and overseas;
• Ongoing, project-based advice regarding key vendor and procurement agreements with software and other vendors, and negotiation and drafting of formal legal documentation, including deeds; and
• Data and privacy compliance with respect to the education of key staff and the organisation generally re compliance with new data and privacy laws in Australia and overseas, including the GDPR of the EU, and compliance with the new Notifiable Data Breach Scheme in Australia. This included workshops and an ongoing program of work.