Grows Ticketmaster's Reach Across Europe and Middle East
LONDON, July 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ticketmaster, a
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: LYV) company, has today
announced its acquisition of sports ticketing provider, the
Tickethour Group. Ticketmaster is the global ticketing leader with
more than 530 million primary tickets processed annually and this
deal will increase its presence to 25 countries across Europe and the Middle East.
Specialising in sports ticketing technology, Tickethour
currently distributes over 8.5 million tickets per year on behalf
of more than 65 clients. Founded in 2006 and led by Executive
Chairman, George Bolos, alongside
CEO Stefanos Kakarantzas, the
Tickethour team will continue to operate in Norway, the
Netherlands, the UK, Cyprus, Greece and Belgium.
The acquisition further extends Ticketmaster's worldwide lead in
sports ticketing. Already the official ticketing provider for
Premier League clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and West
Ham United, the Rugby Football Union as well as Wimbledon, Copa
America, NFL, NBA, NHL, Ticketmaster also counts hundreds of
professional and college sport teams as partners globally.
Tickethour brings key clients to the Ticketmaster portfolio
including the Olympiacos Football Club and the Onassis Culture
Centre in Greece, the Belgian
Proleague and the Belgian Proximus League, and other major football
teams such as the Viking Football Club in Norway.
"Combining the talents of Tickethour with Ticketmaster will
ensure the continued success of Ticketmaster's sports business and
will be a springboard to delivering events in new territories,"
said Mark Yovich, President of
Ticketmaster International. "By working with teams, sports leagues,
clubs and governing bodies we can leverage our reach to connect
millions of sports fans with the events they love."
"Joining the Ticketmaster and Live Nation Entertainment family
is our biggest achievement to date. We look forward to working
together to deliver a truly unique offering to the sports industry
which combines unrivalled technology, service and experience and a
dedication to deliver more events to more fans than ever before,"
said CEO of Tickethour, Stefanos Kakarantzas.
About Live Nation Entertainment:
Live Nation
Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world's leading live entertainment
company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live
Nation Concerts, Live Nation Media & Sponsorship and Artist
Nation Management. For additional information, visit
www.livenationentertainment.com.
About Ticketmaster:
Ticketmaster is the world's
leading ticketing and marketing company. The company works with
more than 10,000 clients across multiple event categories,
connecting consumers across the globe to live entertainment.
Ticketmaster.com is the global event ticketing leader and one of
the world's top five ecommerce sites, with almost 27 million
monthly unique visitors; selling across music, sport, theatre and
art to family and special events.
Ticketmaster also counts amongst its clients some of the leading
brands in sport globally including the NFL, NBA, AFL (Australian
Football League), New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim,
the US Open, and Premier League clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham
Hotspur, West Ham United, as well as the Rugby Football Union and
Welsh Rugby Union.