Diagonal

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.

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

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

• Digital cinema services
• DCP delivery
• KDM generation
• Digital mastering
• Cinema distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. 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
2. 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

Core 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

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record.

• EDCF (European Digital Cinema Forum)Othersdiagonalfilm is a member of EDCF, the European Digital Cinema Forum, which connects digital cinema professionals across Europe.
• ICTA (International Cinema Technology Association)Othersdiagonalfilm is a member of ICTA, the International Cinema Technology Association, providing global industry connectivity.
• FTB/ASITISOthersdiagonalfilm is a member of FTB/ASITIS, a Swiss cinema technology industry association.
• AppleTechnology or Integration

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad 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

• Facebookfacebook.com/diagonalgmbh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/10036810

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Diagonal