2.9.5Segment

Live Events & Ticketing

Concert promoters, ticketing platforms, and live event organizers producing and distributing entertainment experiences.

4
Verticals

Overview

Live Events & Ticketing covers concert promotion, ticketing platforms, performing-arts companies, and movie theaters — the live-experience side of entertainment. Live Nation/Ticketmaster dominates concerts and ticketing, drawing antitrust scrutiny, while live demand has boomed post-pandemic in a sustained experiential-spending wave.

Live events have proven a powerful, hard-to-disrupt category — experiences can't be streamed — with strong pricing power and recurring tour cycles. Consolidation is active across venues, festivals, and ticketing, even amid regulatory pressure on the dominant player.

Market snapshot

Market size
~$85B
Growth
~4.8%CAGR (2017–22, nominal)
Companies
~52,900
FragmentationConsolidating

U.S. Census Bureau 2022 CBP/Economic Census, NAICS 512131/512132 (theaters) + 711120/711190/711310/711320/711510 (performing arts, promoters, artists); 2017–22 growth muted by pandemic recovery.

Business model & economics

Revenue model
Ticketing fees, promotion, sponsorship, and venue revenue
Recurring revenue
Low — event-driven, but tour cycles recur
EBITDA margin
Strong in ticketing; thinner in promotion
Capex intensity
Moderate
  • Live experiences are hard to disrupt — they can't be streamed.
  • Strong pricing power and post-pandemic experiential boom.
  • Ticketing dominance draws antitrust scrutiny.

M&A deal context

High deal activity

Who’s acquiring

Live-entertainment platformsFestival & venue consolidatorsPE-backed live-events investors

What’s driving deals

  • Consolidation of venues, festivals, and ticketing.
  • Experiential-spending boom and strong pricing power.
  • Regulatory pressure on the dominant ticketing player.

Verticals in this segment

  • 2.9.5.1Concert & Music Event Promoters

    Companies promoting and producing live concerts and touring events.

  • 2.9.5.2Festival & Cultural Event Operators

    Producers of music festivals, arts events, and cultural gatherings.

  • 2.9.5.3Sports Event Organizers

    Companies organizing and producing live sporting events and competitions.

  • 2.9.5.4Ticketing Platforms & Services

    Technology platforms selling and managing event ticketing.

Find Live Events & Ticketing acquisition targets

Search Acquisera’s index for companies classified under Live Events & Ticketing (2.9.5) and build a targeted deal pipeline.

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