The move is a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture, the tax-funded Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the regional cinemas mostly owned by local authorities. The bulk of the funding comes from the Cultural Endowment and will amount to approximately 500,000 EUR for the 12 cinemas concerned. The broader aim is to fully digitalise at least one cinema in each of Estonia’s 15 counties.

The 12 cinemas expected to receive funding for digitalisation had a combined audience of 39,000 viewers in 2012. This figure is expected to grow substantially with the lower distribution costs associated with digital screenings. Cinema , Ida-Viru County, saw more admissions in the first three months after the installation of a digital projector than in the preceding 12 months combined.