LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ticketmaster, the
global leader in ticketing software and services, announced today
that it acquired UPGRADED, a blockchain technology
company servicing the live events industry. UPGRADED converts
traditional tickets into secure interactive digital assets
protected by blockchain, providing event creators with more control
and visibility over ticket distribution, and protecting fans
against fraudulent tickets.
The acquisition advances Ticketmaster's leading portfolio
of identity-based venue access solutions aimed at
creating a safer and more personalized experience for fans while
providing valuable data and insights to event owners around where
their tickets are distributed and who event attendees are.
UPGRADED's unique approach leverages blockchain
technology combined with dynamic, encrypted barcodes
to prevent fraud often associated with paper or
pdf-based tickets. The solution can be implemented without
requiring a venue to replace existing access control hardware.
The UPGRADED team and technology fits into a suite of
breakthrough live event products that include Ticketmaster
Presence®, Verified Fan®, and Blink Identity, a facial recognition
tool. Presence, a next generation venue access control and fan
engagement platform, has been implemented in more than
175 venues across North America
and is now driving league-wide digital ticketing at scale with the
NFL. Verified Fan, a product developed to help event creators
better identify and sell directly to fans through a unique and
simple pre-registration process, has supported more than 100 top
music tours to date.
"Ticketmaster is the unquestioned leader in live event ticketing
and is the perfect platform for us to bring the unique promise of
blockchain to millions of fans," said Sandy
Khaund, Founder and CEO of UPGRADED. "UPGRADED leverages
Blockchain to maximize trust for ticket holders, give control and
flexibility to content owners, and data to teams and performers.
We're proud of what we've built and are looking forward to working
with the incredible team at Ticketmaster to help us scale."
"Ticketmaster is constantly exploring emerging technologies, and
there aren't many that have the unique possibilities of
blockchain," said Justin Burleigh,
Chief Product Officer at Ticketmaster, North America. "We're excited to have UPGRADED
join the team as we continue to focus on providing the world's
leading identity-based ticketing platform to fans, artists, and our
clients. We think blockchain and UPGRADED will continue our
progress to improve ticketing and create a safer and more seamless
experience."
About Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster is the global market
leader in live event ticketing, operating in 29 countries and
processing the sale of over 500 million tickets per year. Through
exclusive partnerships with thousands of venues, artists, sports
leagues, and arts and theater tours, Ticketmaster delivers
unparalleled access to the most iconic live events to millions of
fans worldwide.
About UPGRADED
UPGRADED converts traditional event
tickets into secure interactive digital assets protected
by blockchain, enabling buyers and sellers to interact with
complete trust. This technology makes tickets easy to transfer and
impossible to duplicate, providing event owners greater control and
fans with greater security.
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SOURCE Ticketmaster