Market Report: Czechia
Czechia – especially Prague – remains an enticing draw for tourists and international artists.
The territory acts as a convenient bridge between eastern and western Europe, but the capital also boasts venues like the O2 arena, a 20,000-capacity multipurpose venue, and the O2 universum, a 24-hall, 10,000-cap congress and cultural centre next door.
As Lukáš Jandač, managing director of ticketing company GoOut, notes: “The number of international artists coming to our market is increasing, and customers are willing to pay higher prices for tickets instead of traveling abroad.”
“The number of international artists coming to our market is increasing, and customers are willing to pay higher prices for tickets instead of traveling abroad.”
But despite the market being “fully recovered post-Covid,” he adds that frustrations and issues remain. “The Czech market is saturated and competitive – different types of events are usually distributed between different ticketing companies, each focusing on their own niche.” High inflation also continues to impact consumer behaviour.
Primary Ticketing
Thanks to its exclusive deal to ticket both O2 venues, Ticketmaster is the number one ticketer here; followed by Ticketportal.
GoOut, which was acquired last year by dominant Baltics- headquartered ticketing firm Piletilevi Group, focuses on the entire market, not only from a geographical perspective but also with regards to promoters’ needs.
“We service large and small promoters, as well as collaborating with private and public sector institutions,” says Jandač. Being part of Piletilevi Group has also allowed them to “strengthen our position thanks to joint tech innovations and international initiatives within this rapidly growing European ticketing group.”
Distribution of sales
E-tickets now dominate, to the extent that “digital makes up just under 100% of tickets we sell, with most utilising the Ticketmaster mobile app for ease and convenience,” says Simona Matějková, managing director of Ticketmaster Czech Republic.
“Czech customers are generally very open-minded and are considered early adopters of technology.”
“Czech customers are generally very open-minded and are considered early adopters of technology,” adds Jandač. “That’s also evidenced by the higher volume of GoOut app and Apple wallet ticket downloads.”
Secondary ticketing
Reselling and scalping remain prevalent, particularly when it comes to international superstars and A-list artists.
To combat this, Ticketmaster launched its Resale platform in 2023 for fans who can no longer attend events, while TicketSwap has been operating since 2022, with a SecureSwap API integration with GoOut and partnering with leading festivals like Rock for People and Let it Roll.
The company is also planning new integrations in 2024 with Ticketstream, Ticketportal, and TicketLIVE. “This resale option is becoming quite popular for security reasons, as there has always been plenty of fraud on Czech Internet platforms,” says Jandač.
“This resale option is becoming quite popular for security reasons, as there has always been plenty of fraud on Czech Internet platforms.”
However, Viagogo persists for huge must-see arena shows, while ticketonlineshop and bazos.cz are other common destinations for those looking to sell or buy secondary tickets.
International/domestic splits & genres
The capital and those two O2 arenas generally cater for bigger stars and tours – Childish Gambino, Billie Eilish, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds are all scheduled to perform – but domestic artists with large dedicated followings represent the majority of ticket sales. “Local artists continue to attract significant crowds,” says Jandač.
Cultural analysis
For live music, growth is on the cards, as is the cementing of culture as something to be nurtured. Geographical diversification is also increasing.
“Promoters are looking to the future with high expectations – witness Ed Sheeran playing two concerts in Hradec Kralove, a city 115km away from Prague with 90,000 inhabitants,” says Jandač.
“We’re excited about the new venues being built in Brno and Pardubice, plus the renovations happening in Ostrava,” adds Matějková. “With more festivals and international artists on the horizon, we can’t wait for these to expand the opportunities for live entertainment in the region.”
Country Profile: Czechia
Live Nation has historically dominated the Czech market, and the company has upcoming performances from Billie Eilish, Twenty One Pilots, and Melanie Martinez in 2025.
Despite this, independent event organisers like Fource Entertainment, Colour Production, Ameba Production, and D Smack U still play a key role here.
Founded by Anthony Jouet in 2011, Fource Entertainment works with emerging and established artists worldwide. In the past year, it’s promoted shows by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Cigarettes After Sex, and James Arthur, plus club nights.
Colour Production has enjoyed similar success this year, with shows by LP (Laura Pergolizzi) and its festival Colours of Ostrava, which saw Lenny Kravitz, Sam Smith, and James Blake perform in July.
“We have shown our professionality, hospitality, unique venue, and great audience at Colours of Ostrava. It is always about trust.”
Head of booking and artist liaisons Pavla Slívová believes the company’s authenticity keeps artists coming back. “We have shown our professionality, hospitality, unique venue, and great audience at Colours of Ostrava. It is always about trust.”
Czechia’s central location in Europe also makes it ideal for international artists undertaking tours in the region. “It is pretty easy to tour through Czechia. We are an EU country in the Schengen area and the middle of Europe, close to Vienna, Berlin, and big Polish cities,” says Slívová. However, she says outside Prague and Brno, things get more “complicated.”
“Inflation in the Czech Republic has been one of the highest in Europe since Covid,” states Jouet. This has come to the detriment of fans, who have limited purchasing power, and major acts and their teams, due to increased “pressure of labour and production costs.”
“Inflation in the Czech Republic has been one of the highest in Europe since Covid”
As a result, Jouet posits the need for diversity within the live entertainment market, not only in terms of music genre but also in different types of event, such as club nights and more intimate concerts to cater to a wider audience, not just the regular arena concert attendees.
To broker successful partnerships with managers and artists wanting to break into the market, Slívová says, “Fees and conditions need to be reasonable. Czech promoters are loyal and happy to work on artist development.”
This sentiment is echoed by Jouet, who urges the managers of emerging artists to add Czechia to the European legs of their tours. “For instance, with Imagine Dragons, we co-promoted the show with Live Nation, and we sold 120,000 tickets over two shows, which I think was one of the biggest headline shows they had ever done.”
“Fees and conditions need to be reasonable. Czech promoters are loyal and happy to work on artist development.”
Jouet says trust is key to creating long-lasting relationships with artists and their management, citing the success of Fource Entertainment’s partnership with Cigarettes After Sex. “Last October, we sold 9,000 tickets, and they’re going to come back next year to perform at the 02 Arena in Prague [max cap. 18,500].”
In the future, Jouet hopes that an association to protect and represent the sector’s interests will be implemented, so that both big arena bookers and small alternative promoters can receive government support and keep the industry thriving in the face of unpredictable crises, such as Covid.
Arena Market: Czechia
A long-time EU and Schengen member sitting at the heart of Europe with a burgeoning tech and tourism scene and excellent transport links, Czechia is obviously a natural location for many big concerts. Its proximity to the major territories of Austria and Germany, and good rail and road links to both, allows it to tap into larger markets than might be expected.
The country also loves basketball and ice hockey – both arena sports. The extremely well-regarded Colours of Ostrava Festival brings big names and cool newer acts to Ostrava in the east of the country each July.
The largest arena in the nation is the 18,500-capacity O2 arena in Prague, which celebrates its 20th birthday this year. Depeche Mode played there earlier this year, and it also hosted a K-Pop festival, as well as selling out for local act Ewa Farna.
“O2 arena enjoyed a successful year in 2023, attracting the third-highest number of visitors in its history over the 91 events it held.”
In a statement, Bestsport said: “O2 arena enjoyed a successful year in 2023, attracting the third-highest number of visitors in its history over the 91 events it held. Close to 1m people attended musical, sports, and other events, bringing the total number of visitors since 2004, when the arena opened, to almost 13.3m.
“The biggest draws last year included concerts by Iron Maiden, Roger Waters, and local band Queenie’s Queen Relived, all of whom performed twice in a row. Bryan Adams, KISS, and Måneskin filled the O2 arena to capacity.” The complex also includes the O2 universum and a hotel.
Other venues in Czechia include TipSport Arena in Prague (15,000), Winning Group Arena in Brno (7,200), and Enteria Arena in the secondary city of Pardubice (10,000). The latter has lined up Alice Cooper and Seal as part of its 2024 programme.
Tipsport Arena has actually been around since 1962 as primarily a multisport arena for ice hockey and tennis. It hit the headlines in 2018 when Jason Derulo was forced to cancel a gig there and instead sang to fans from the balcony.