Germany-headquartered live music giant CTS Eventim completed its acquisition of Vivendi’s ticketing and festivals businesses on Thursday (June 6).
The transaction, which had a total enterprise value of about EUR €300 million (approx. USD $322.6 million at current exchange rates), was initially agreed upon through a put option agreement signed in April 2024.
Vivendi’s ticketing arm, including the See Tickets brand, generated €105 million ($113 million) in revenue in 2023, with the UK and US markets being their strongest performers. The festival business added another €32 million ($34 million) to the total.
The acquisition is expected to benefit both companies. CTS Eventim will expand its international presence and ticketing reach, while Vivendi can focus on developing its remaining festival portfolio.
The deal excludes Vivendi’s French ticketing operations including See Tickets France and Brive Festival, and its performance venues like L’Olympia in Paris.
“We at Vivendi are convinced that CTS Eventim will be the right company to bring our ticketing and festival activities to new heights.”
Hala Bavière, Vivendi Village
Talks about the sale of Vivendi’s ticketing and festivals businesses emerged in September 2023. In addition to CTS Eventim, the sale reportedly attracted Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) as a potential buyer. However, CTS Eventim eventually emerged as the winning bidder.
“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,” Hala Bavière, CEO of Vivendi Village and member of the Executive Committee of Vivendi, said at the time.
See Tickets, which originally emerged from the transformation of Nottingham-based Way Ahead Records, has been a vital player in the UK’s live events sector since the 1990s. Vivendi acquired See Tickets in September 2011 for €96 million, integrating it into Vivendi Village alongside prominent venues such as L’Olympia concert hall.
Vivendi describes See Tickets as the number two ticketing provider in the UK and “a successful actor in other markets.”
Paris-headquartered Vivendi SA retains diverse interests across film, television, advertising, and digital platforms. Its holdings include Groupe Canal+, Havas, and the video platform Dailymotion. It was the parent company of Universal Music Group (UMG) until 2021, and retains a 10% stake in UMG following its listing on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange.
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