Professional wrestling superstars Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, James Storm and others promise to thrill and dazzle audiences Sunday for “Lockdown 2012,” a signature event from TNA Wrestling.
While the action will be in steel cages in front of raucous crowds in downtown Nashville, Tenn., local audiences can watch the goings-on live nearly 600 miles away at Sterling Six Cinemas in Iola.
“Lockdown” marks the premiere of live alternative content broadcasting at Sterling Six, courtesy of the cinema’s new satellite delivery service.
The service broadcasts satellite signals to Sterling Six for live broadcasts of various sporting events, concerts, performing arts such as plays or ballets and other productions. The broadcasts can be recorded for future showings as well.
Sterling Six is the first cinema in the B&B Theatres chain offering alternative content, noted theater manager Nic Olson.
“We hope, if this goes well, that we will be able to bring more, bigger events home,” Olson said.
Tickets for the TNA showing cost $14.95 apiece. The curtain rises at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. The broadcast is expected to run about 3 1/2 hours.
The TNA World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line and two teams of wrestlers will compete in a “Lethal Lockdown” match.
STERLING SIX crews have worked feverishly, yet meticulously, to ensure Sunday’s broadcast offers plenty of entertainment value.
In preparation, the moviehouse recorded a live broadcast of the National Theater of London’s presentation of “Comedy of Errors” in March, then rebroadcast for Allen Community College theater students Wednesday morning.
Having alternative content available in Iola should open a number of entertainment opportunities for local consumers, said Tony Piazza, drama instructor at ACC and an unabashed fan of Sterling Six’s satellite delivery system.
“This can open a whole, exciting new world for people who may not have been able to go to a Boadway show before now,” Piazza said. “We’ll be able to see world-class entertainers, all live.
“While it may not be the same as going to watch somebody perform on Broadway, this is a darned good comparison,” Piazza said.
The alternative content is provided through B&B Theatres’ licensing agreement with Microspace Communications Corporation, an industry leader in satellite distribution services for digital cinema.
