[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]ACCESS CO., LTD (www.access-company.com), a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile, beyond-PC and digital TV markets, today announced that ACCESS™ Beacon Framework (ABF), which supports Apple’s iBeacon™ technology, was selected by TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX JAPAN, INC. for online-to-offline (O2O) promotions targeting iOS users running iOS 7. The system will go live May 14 at TOHO Cinemas theater complexes in the Nihonbashi and Roppongi Hills areas of central Tokyo to promote the movie “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” which Fox will release in Japan on Friday, May 30.

This innovative, promotional use of beacons in movie theaters, which will be Japan’s first commercial use of iBeacon technology in large-scale entertainment venues, was achieved by integrating ABF into the TOHO Cinemas Magazine app offered by TOHO Cinemas. Movie theater goers, who download the app (ver. 2.6 or later) with iOS devices, will receive a diverse array of services for enhanced experiences, including automatic video streaming, facility information, digital coupons and online campaigns.

FOX plans to expand the program across Japan by this summer.

“This will be the most technically advanced promotion for X-Men: Days of Future Past, which ACCESS has supported by rapidly introducing comprehensive technologies with flexibility,” said Yoshinari Hirayama, Sales Senior Manager at FOX. “We hope to launch a wide range of innovative ABF-based services in partnership with ACCESS.”

“Taking advantage of the deep penetration of iOS devices in the Japanese market, the launch of these large-scale in-theater iBeacon commercial services are ahead of the global adoption curve for Beacon O2O services,” said Kunihiro Ishiguro, CTO, ACCESS. “iBeacon, an innovative tool for O2O services, will spur the development of new services and markets in myriad scenarios across diverse industries. We look forward to linking this technology with ACCESS’ existing services for smartphone to develop ABF as an increasingly comprehensive solution.”