Diagonal
Diagonal is a Zurich-based digital cinema services lab, founded 2004, that delivers DCP mastering, KDM generation, subtitling, encoding, streaming, and archiving to Swiss cinemas on behalf of Hollywood studios and regional distributors via the filmservice.net portal.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Diagonal does
Diagonal (diagonalfilm) is a Zurich-based private company founded in 2004 that operates a specialized digital cinema services platform serving the Swiss film distribution ecosystem. The company has built a proprietary DCP (Digital Cinema Package) online delivery network optimized for the Swiss market, providing electronic delivery of film data to cinemas as well as physical hard drive delivery for venues without reliable online connectivity. Its service portfolio spans mastering/repackaging, versioning/localization, KDM generation, subtitling in four languages, home video encoding, metadata management, online screener generation, live event streaming, and long-term archiving across redundant data centers. Diagonal holds the distinction of being the only laboratory in Switzerland certified by Apple for iTunes delivery quality requirements, and is a member of EDCF, ICTA, and FTB/ASITIS.
The company runs a B2B sales-led model, serving major Hollywood studios (Disney, Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal) and global service providers (Pathe, Deluxe) on the supply side, and Swiss cinema operators alongside regional distributors (Ascot Elite, Frenetic Films, DCM, Praesens Film, Xenix Film, Rialto, Langfilm, among others) on the demand side. All services are ordered and tracked through the filmservice.net booking portal, which functions as both the client interface and real-time order status hub. Pricing is quote-based for professional services engagements and is not publicly disclosed. Diagonal's stated geographic scope is limited to Switzerland, although the content processed spans both international Hollywood releases and Swiss/European regional productions. Reported scale metrics include 2,826,000 GB transferred, 137,186 trailers delivered, and 57,633 KDMs generated over the company's operating history.
Diagonal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Diagonal
- Legal name
- diagonalfilm
- Website
- https://diagonal.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Diagonal is a Zurich-based digital cinema services lab, founded 2004, that delivers DCP mastering, KDM generation, subtitling, encoding, streaming, and archiving to Swiss cinemas on behalf of Hollywood studios and regional distributors via the filmservice.net portal.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Diagonal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Cinema Services
- NAICS
- Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219), Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212), Teleproduction and Other Postproduction Services (512191)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mastering, Encoding & Delivery (IMF/DCP, OTT Packages) (MPADAGAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Media Processing at the Edge (Transcoding, Packaging, DRM at Edge) (HDABAGAD)
Keywords
Where Diagonal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Diagonal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- DCP Services: Services include online DCP delivery, DCP disk delivery, mastering/repackaging, versioning/localisation, KDM generation, subtitling, home video encoding, metadata management, online screener, and archiving services for the cinema industry
- Streaming Services: Live broadcast streaming for operas, ballet, football and other live events transmitted through their delivery network
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Diagonal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Diagonal provides digital cinema services including DCP (Digital Cinema Package) delivery, digital mastering, cinema streaming, and KDM (Key Delivery Message) generation for film studios, distributors, and cinema operators. The company operates a proprietary filmservice.net platform and dedicated delivery network to securely distribute and manage digital cinema content across theater chains.
Product overview
diagonalfilm operates as a comprehensive digital cinema services provider offering a portfolio of interconnected services for film distribution and delivery. The core offering centers on the Online DCP Delivery Network for electronic delivery of cinema content, supplemented by physical DCP Disk Delivery for cinemas without connectivity. The platform integrates additional services including Streaming for live events, Mastering/Repackaging for DCI-compliant package creation, Versioning/Localisation for title management, KDM Generation for secure key delivery, Subtitling, Home Video Encoding (Apple iTunes certified), Metadata Management, Online Screener generation, and Archiving with redundant multi-datacentre storage. All services are accessible through the filmservice.net booking portal, which serves as the unified data hub for the cinema industry.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- DCP (Digital Cinema Package) Delivery
Companies that use Diagonal
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Diagonal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Diagonal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record.
- EDCF (European Digital Cinema Forum)diagonalfilm is a member of EDCF, the European Digital Cinema Forum, which connects digital cinema professionals across Europe.
- ICTA (International Cinema Technology Association)diagonalfilm is a member of ICTA, the International Cinema Technology Association, providing global industry connectivity.
- FTB/ASITISdiagonalfilm is a member of FTB/ASITIS, a Swiss cinema technology industry association.
- Apple
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Diagonal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Deluxe Media (Deluxe Entertainment Services): Global post-production, distribution, and digital cinema services company. Diagonal lists Deluxe as a customer rather than a competitor, but Deluxe operates overlapping DCP mastering, encoding, and delivery capabilities worldwide, making it the largest comparable reference point and a potential roll-up acquirer.
Direct peers
- Ymagis Group (Ypso / VPF Cinepostproduction): European digital cinema services provider offering DCP mastering, KDM generation, and electronic delivery to exhibitors. Closest comparable to Diagonal by business model, though operating at multi-country European scale.
- FotoKem: US-based digital cinema and post-production services provider offering DCP mastering, KDM generation, and delivery. Comparable workflow scope and B2B studio/distributor customer base.
- Eikon Group: UK-based post-production house offering mastering, versioning, and digital delivery for film and television. Overlaps with Diagonal on mastering/encoding and serves similar major studio and distributor clients.
- Cinerent: Swiss film rental and distribution company listed among Diagonal's clients. While more of a customer than a competitor, Cinerent operates adjacent services in Swiss cinema distribution and provides a regional peer reference point.
Regional players
- CinePlus (Cine Plus Media Service): German-based digital cinema service provider offering DCP creation, delivery, and cinema post-production. Comparable in service scope but serves the German-speaking market rather than Switzerland specifically.
- ARRI Media: Germany-based post-production and digital cinema services arm of ARRI. Provides DCP mastering, versioning, and delivery to European cinemas — overlapping Diagonal's offerings in a neighboring German-speaking market.
Emerging players
- Prasad Studios (Prasad EFX): India-headquartered post-production and digital cinema services company with global delivery capabilities. Comparable on post-production and DCP workflow but at lower cost positioning than European peers.
- Qube Cinema (Real Image Media Technologies): Provider of digital cinema technology including DCP creation tools and cinema server software. Comparable on the DCP technical workflow, though positioned more as a technology vendor than a service provider like Diagonal.
Others
- AWS Elemental (Amazon): Cloud-based video transcoding, packaging, and DRM services. Represents a technology-driven competitive threat that could enable studios and exhibitors to bypass dedicated DCP labs like Diagonal via cloud-native workflows.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Diagonal social profiles
Digital presenceDiagonal compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Diagonal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Diagonal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Diagonal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Diagonal M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Diagonal
What does Diagonal do?
Diagonal provides digital cinema services including DCP (Digital Cinema Package) delivery, digital mastering, cinema streaming, and KDM (Key Delivery Message) generation for film studios, distributors, and cinema operators. The company operates a proprietary filmservice.net platform and dedicated delivery network to securely distribute and manage digital cinema content across theater chains.
Is Diagonal a public or private company?
Diagonal is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Diagonal founded?
Diagonal was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Diagonal based?
Diagonal is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Diagonal make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. DCP Services are the primary driver. The others are streaming Services.
Who are Diagonal's main competitors?
Deluxe Media (Deluxe Entertainment Services) is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Ymagis Group (Ypso / VPF Cinepostproduction), FotoKem, Eikon Group and Cinerent. Regional players are CinePlus (Cine Plus Media Service) and ARRI Media. Emerging players are Prasad Studios (Prasad EFX) and Qube Cinema (Real Image Media Technologies). AWS Elemental (Amazon) is listed as an others.
Does Diagonal have an API?
No public API is recorded for Diagonal.
What industry is Diagonal in?
Diagonal's product category is Digital Cinema Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAGAH, Mastering, Encoding & Delivery (IMF/DCP, OTT Packages), with a secondary code of HDABAGAD, Media Processing at the Edge (Transcoding, Packaging, DRM at Edge). Its NAICS code is 51219 and its SIC code is 7822.