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DEAG posts record-breaking revenue for 2022

The German live entertainment company posted the highest revenue and EBITDA in the firm's 45-year history for 2022

By Lisa Henderson on 23 Mar 2023

DEAG CEO Peter Schwenkow

DEAG CEO Peter Schwenkow


image © Inferno Events GmbH & Co KG

Deutsche Entertainment (DEAG) is hailing “enormous recovery and growth” after reporting the highest revenue and EBITDA in the company’s 45-year history.

The German live entertainment company saw revenue in the 2022 financial year increase 258.3% to around €325 million, compared to €90.7m in the previous year and €185.2m in the pre-corona year 2019, according to preliminary figures.

EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) surged 40.3% to around €31m, compared to €22.1m in the previous year and €14.1m in 2019.

DEAG attributes the strong performance to a number of factors including the recovery of live entertainment, the expansion of its event pipeline, successful M&A activities and the further expansion of ticketing.

In addition, the companies acquired by DEAG since 2019 – such as Regular Music, tickets.ie. platform, Indian SpiritClassic Open Air and Airbeat One. – also made a “significant contribution” to the good performance for the first full year.

Group revenue before consolidation amounted to approx. €352m in financial year 2022, compared to approx. €97m in the previous year and approx. €197m in financial year 2019.

The company has also considerably increased its ticket sales, having sold nine million tickets in the financial year 2022, compared to around five million in the years prior to the pandemic.

“The enormous recovery and growth in revenue and EBITDA well above the level of the last comparable financial year 2019, a rock-solid balance sheet and a consistently implemented growth strategy characterised the year 2022 for DEAG,” says Professor Peter L.H. Schwenkow, CEO of DEAG.

DEAG says it is expecting 2023 to be another record-breaking year in the company’s history

“Our expansion measures, which we continued unwaveringly during the corona caesura, are bearing fruit. We will continue to move forward along this path. We sell ‘the little slice of happiness’ even in economically difficult times and have always seen particularly high demand, especially in recession years.

“With an increasing number of their own branded and thus also high-margin event formats, an organisation and crew created for growth and ticketing that is growing steadily and with good margins, we can be confident for the years ahead. With the tailwind of strong annual figures and a very positive operating performance, we also see ourselves very well prepared for the upcoming refinancing of our corporate bond as well as the further consistent implementation of the corporate strategy.”

DEAG says it is expecting 2023 to be another record-breaking year in the company’s history. With more than 6,000 events in the pipeline, the company is aiming to sell around 10,000,000 tickets.

Since the beginning of this year, the company has already promoted sold-out events such as Ed Sheeran at The O2, Disney on Ice, events with award-winning filmmaker and bestselling author Quentin Tarantino, the international literature festival lit.COLOGNE and the world’s most successful dance show Riverdance.

DEAG says several acquisitions are in the pipeline and that it plans to intensify its M&A activities in the second half of 2023, with a particular focus on the ticketing segment.

The Berlin-based promoter and ticket agency has interests in Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Ireland and Denmark. Its group includes Kilimanjaro Group (UK), Wizard Promotions (DE), UK Live, My Ticket (DE, AT, UK) and Belladrum Tartan Heart festival (UK).

Other acquisitions in the last two and a half years include CSB Island EntertainmentFane ProductionsGigantic.com and C² Concerts.

 


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