CTS EVENTIM and Vivendi have signed a put option agreement on the sale of Vivendi’s festival and international ticketing activities. The transaction should be completed in the coming months after consultation of the employee representative bodies concerned.
Hala Bavière, CEO of Vivendi Village commented: “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 added: “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.”
See Tickets is the number two ticketing provider in the UK and a successful actor in other markets. In addition to the UK, the business that CTS EVENTIM is set to acquire also operates in seven other countries in Europe (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland), and in the US. Globally, See Tickets sold about 44 million tickets in 2023.
Vivendi has also created a diverse portfolio of music and live events, with festivals include Junction 2 in the UK and Garorock in France.
Vivendi’s ticketing and festival activities that CTS EVENTIM is set to acquire collectively produced €137 million in revenues in 2023. The ticketing business generated roughly €105 million of that, with the UK market responsible for the largest share, followed by its US market. The festival business that is part of the current deal generated an additional €32 million.
Vivendi state that, with CTS EVENTIM, they have found a fitting new home for its festival and international ticketing activities. The German company is the number one provider of ticketing and live entertainment services in Europe and number two in the world. The EVENTIM LIVE network, with 39 members, is the largest festival promoter in Europe.
Vivendi state that the transaction will ensure maximum continuity for staff, partners, the festivals themselves and the regions where they are held. Both See Tickets and the festival business will retain their existing identities and management.
Vivendi’s performance hall activities, including L’Olympia in Paris, as well as See Tickets France and Brive Festival, are not part of the agreement
