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Ticketmaster enters Greece with Tickethour buy

The acquisition of Tickethour, whose clients include Greek, Norwegian and Belgian football clubs, boosts Live Nation's EMEA sports ticketing reach

By IQ on 26 Jul 2016

Mark Yovich, Ticketmaster, Universe, Tickethour

The deal will "connect millions of sports fans with the events they love", says TM's Mark Yovich


Ticketmaster today bolstered its presence in Europe and the Middle East with the acquisition of Tickethour, a Greek primary ticket outlet which also operates in Cyprus, the UK, Egypt, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Qatar and the US.

Glyfada-based Tickethour, which sells over 8.5 million tickets a year for more than 65 clients, specialises in sporting events, but also offers tickets for concerts, films, theatrical shows and dance events. Ticketmaster is already the official ticketing partner for a number of Premier League football clubs, the Wimbledon Championships and the National Football League, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League in the US, and says the acquisition “further extends Ticketmaster’s worldwide lead in sports ticketing”.

Tickethour’s sporting portfolio includes Olympiacos FC and the Onassis Cultural Center in Greece, Viking FC in Norway and Belgium’s Pro League and Proximus League.

“Combining the talents of Tickethour with Ticketmaster will ensure the continued success of Ticketmaster’s sports businesss and be a springboard to delivering events in new territories”

Mark Yovich, president of Ticketmaster International, comments: “Combining the talents of Tickethour with Ticketmaster will ensure the continued success of Ticketmaster’s sports business, and will be a springboard to delivering events in new territories. By working with teams, sports leagues, clubs and governing bodies we can leverage our reach to connect millions of sports fans with the events they love.”

“Joining the Ticketmaster and Live Nation Entertainment family is our biggest achievement to date,”Tickethour’s CEO, Stefanos Kakarantzas, adds. “We look forward to working together to deliver a truly unique offering to the sports industry which combines unrivalled technology, service and experience and a dedication to deliver more events to more fans than ever before.”

Speaking to the 2015 International Ticketing Yearbook, Detox Events’ Giannis Paltoglou revealed Tickethour is, with Viva.gr, “probably the biggest” primary ticketer in Greece, a country where (until today) “there is no big player like Ticketmaster”.

 


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