Market Report: South Africa

Historically one of Africa’s go-to countries for uplifting traditional sounds, the ongoing economic challenges of the past few years have stifled the live entertainment market of late. But the industry mood remains buoyant, with several key developments in the pipeline.

Primary ticketing
Ticketmaster entering the market in 2022 has shaken up a South African landscape previously dominated by Shoprite’s domestic provider Computicket. Ticketmaster bought the leading self-serve outlet Quicket in July 2024, giving it a further foothold in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and Botswana.

“Partnering with Quicket will supercharge our mission to elevate Africa’s dynamic live events to the global spotlight they truly deserve,” said Ticketmaster president Mark Yovich.

“Together, we are igniting a new era of unparalleled growth for African entertainment.”

“Together, we are igniting a new era of unparalleled growth for African entertainment.”

The multinational has sparked a technological rush amongst the more traditional players. Webtickets, who primarily focussed on sports and music festivals in the past, have explored dynamic pricing in association with Event Dynamic and offer Pick n Pay and Boxer instore purchase options, while Quicket was working on AI-based recommendations when it was acquired. Other local players are Ticketpro, who focus on sport, and Howler, who concentrate on dance festivals. Event discovery and ticketing platforms Zishapp, Pocketplan, and Appening also operate.

Distribution of sales
Digital ticketing is the norm. Ticketmaster conducts its entire sales business online with 95% of its tickets delivered digitally, up from 80% in 2023. Other means of distribution are thriving, too.

“There is often a big difference between online versus in-store purchases,” says Webtickets marketing manager Thomas Stavrides. “This depends on the event in question and the target audience, where certain demo- graphics choose to purchase their tickets in store at Pick n Pay or Boxer stores, while others choose to purchase online using credit card, EFT, or one of our other online payment methods. We’ve seen consistent growth in our sales through Pick n Pay stores over the past three years.”

“There is often a big difference between online versus in-store purchases”

Secondary ticketing
Viagogo and Facebook Marketplace offer secondary ticketing options, but their unregulated nature makes them a significant risk for consumers. “We and our competitors always strongly advise against buying prepurchased tickets

from anywhere, as the risks are very high due to fraud,” says Stavrides.

International/domestic splits & genres
With a small market of consumers with enough money to attend large events, South Africa has historically attracted only a few international artists a year, of only the highest, broad-appeal level.

Local acts in the R&B, gospel, and regional house style, amapiano, have been blossoming as social media stars, though, creating new emerging markets and making up the majority of events here. There are hopes that, as local acts become better known globally, this will encourage more international acts to visit.

Cultural analysis
Despite its economy remaining static in 2024, demand is on the rise. “There is a huge appetite for events and entertainment in the emerging sector, with the number of events on Webtickets in this market having more than doubled over the past 24 months,” says Stavrides, while optimism in the African market is driving major infrastructure works on the continent.

“Exciting changes are on the horizon for venue development,”

“Exciting changes are on the horizon for venue development,” says Ticketmaster’s South African MD Justin Van Wyk, “especially with Live Nation and OVG supporting Africa’s first purpose-built arena, set to open in Lagos, Nigeria, by the end of next year.”

Taxes & charges
“The most common rates models are, firstly, a simple commission charged to the client on the ticket price, and secondly, where a transaction fee is charged to the customer,” says Stavrides. “In terms of taxes, VAT (15%) is charged by the ticket company on the commission they earn on a sale.