PARIS, FRANCE: CTS EVENTIM, a titan in ticketing services and live entertainment, has inked a put option agreement with cultural powerhouse Vivendi for the acquisition of its festival and international ticketing operations.
The transaction, valued at €137 million in annual revenues, is poised to be finalized in the upcoming months following consultations with employee representative bodies.
See Tickets, the esteemed ticketing giant and the UK’s second-largest provider, is at the heart of this acquisition. With a robust presence in eight countries, including the US and key European markets, See Tickets boasts an impressive sales record of approximately 44 million tickets in 2023 alone.
Vivendi’s curated portfolio of music and live events, headlined by Junction 2 in the UK and Garorock in France, has been a beacon of fan-centric experiences. The ticketing sector under Vivendi’s umbrella generated a substantial €105 million, with the UK and US markets leading the charge. The festival segment contributed an additional €32 million to the total revenue.
CTS EVENTIM, the European leader and global runner-up in ticketing and live entertainment, is set to provide a synergistic new home for Vivendi’s assets. Renowned for its collaboration with artists and promoters, EVENTIM’s acquisition promises to bolster its already expansive EVENTIM LIVE network, the largest festival promoter in Europe.
The deal assures a seamless transition for employees, partners, and the festivals themselves, safeguarding their established identities and management structures. This strategic move aligns with Vivendi’s transformation agenda, which has nurtured the growth and adaptation of its ticketing and festival divisions to meet evolving consumer demands.
Notably, Vivendi’s performance hall ventures, including the iconic L’Olympia in Paris, as well as See Tickets France and Brive Festival, remain outside the scope of this agreement, signaling a focused strategy on international expansion for CTS EVENTIM.
Hala Bavière, CEO of Vivendi Village and member of the Executive Committee of Vivendi: “I am proud of what has been accomplished over more than a decade and extremely grateful for the strong dedication of all the teams involved. We at Vivendi are convinced that CTS EVENTIM will be the right company to bring our ticketing and festival activities to new heights, supporting See Tickets to remain a state-of-the-art company in services and technology, while fostering the growth of the festivals and preserving their unique identities and audience.”
Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO, CTS EVENTIM: “With See Tickets and its festival operations, Vivendi has established two notable players in the ticketing and live entertainment sector. I’d like to thank Vivendi for the productive negotiations, which have created a strong foundation for success in an industry enjoying robust growth across Europe. The acquisition supports our internationalization strategy and will also benefit artists and their managers, as we will be able to offer even more seamless services on a global scale.
We look forward to collaborating with our new colleagues on shaping the future of live entertainment.”