Met's HD Broadcast Program To Grow by 30%

The third season of "The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD," the popular program that broadcasts Met performances to movie theaters and performing arts centers across the country, will reach 30 percent more venues this season than in 2007-08, the opera house announced Wednesday.

The program, a partnership between the Met and National CineMedia, a cinema advertising and movie theater-event company, will reach 440 movie theaters and performing arts centers in 2008-09. Last season, more than 900,000 people attended live and encore high-definition presentations of eight opera performances.

This season, "Live in HD" will showcase 10 operas, beginning September 22 with a broadcast of the Met's opening-night gala, featuring performances by Renée Fleming from Verdi's "La Traviata," Massenet's "Manon," and Richard Strauss's "Capriccio."