Australians spend $2.5bn on live entertainment in 2015

Consumers in Australia spent A$2.5 billion (US$1.9 million) online last year buying tickets to shows, live events and films.

Fourteen-to-24-year-olds, who make up 11 per cent of the overall market, spent $279m, which increases to $354m among 25–34-year-olds. Over-50s, meanwhile, made up almost a third of the market, buying $810m worth of tickets.

The largest slice of the pie, however, was spent by 35–49-year-olds, who paid over $1bn for gig and cinema tickets in 2015.

Those are the findings from Melbourne-based Roy Morgan Research, which also revealed that 250,000 more women than men buy tickets online in an average month.  However, when men do buy tickets online they spend around $20 more.

“While incidence and population size each play a big part in how much each group contributes to the annual $2.5bn market, another important factor is which tickets and events these groups prefer – and how much they cost,” explains Roy Morgan Research CEO Michele Levine.

“Fourteen-to-24 year-olds are the most likely to go to the cinema; more 25–34 year-olds go to rock or pop concerts, the zoo or exhibitions like home and boat shows; more 35–49 year-olds go to theme parks and sporting events; and more people aged 50-plus go to live theatre and classical concerts, galleries and museums. And perhaps men really need to get out more, being outnumbered by women at nearly all events, including the movies, theatre, concerts, galleries, museums and zoos.

“Event ticketing is one slice of consumers’ discretionary expenditure that has quickly and largely shifted to online.”