The notes are pitch perfect, but the profits are flat.
The Metropolitan Opera’s plan to push high-definition video performances into movie theaters worldwide to boost revenue isn’t panning out.
The initial plan to telecast some of the Met’s best performances to a digital audience was met with great enthusiasm, but profits continue to fall and audience growth has stalled, a Crain’s New York Business report found.
More than 60 countries participated in the program.
Last year, the hi-def profits dropped 10.5 percent. The losses aren’t the only sour note — the opera house is also having trouble expanding its audience, one of the goals of the telecast programming.
But despite the setbacks, the powerhouse is still hopeful its 21st-century broadcasts will bolster interest in opera.
“Our live transmissions continue to transform the public’s perception of opera and to excite our performers and our audiences around the world,” said Met General Manager Peter Gelb. “For our entire company, there is nothing quite like one of our adrenaline-packed Saturday matinee broadcasts.”
This season, the Met is bringing 10 of its live performances to the big screen, including “Macbeth,” “Carmen” and “La Donna del Lago.”
Meanwhile, attendance at the Lincoln Center opera house has declined 17.5 percent in the past five years.