The future of See Tickets is up-in-the-air, and now, two major entertainment companies are interested in acquiring the Vivendi-owned company.
According to the Financial Times, sources close to the matter revealed that AEG and CTS Eventim are now in the running to acquire See Tickets. Back in 2011, Vivendi purchased the ticketer for just under €125 million ($135 million); now, they’re aiming for a deal around €300 million ($322 million). While the first round of bids were submitted in recent weeks, sources told the publication that more bidders are expected to join the process.
As previously reported earlier this year, Vivendi is working with advisors to sell the subsidiary, as well as parts of its Vivendi Village, in a process expected to “kick-off imminently.” In 2022, See Tickets sold 39 million tickets — a stark increase from 25 million in 2019. This year, the company is expected to sell 43 million tickets across 10 different countries.
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While sources told Sky News that Vivendi concluded See Tickets was not able to compete with industry giants like Live Nation or Ticketmaster, it might have a shot at the big leagues when paired with AEG, which also owns AXS. See Tickets’ rising revenue numbers could also help CTS Eventim, which is already projected to achieve €2 billion in revenue across its entertainment and ticketing divisions for 2023.
Neither AEG nor CTS Eventim have publicly commented on the potential acquisition, and both companies declined to comment to the Financial Times.