France and Spain posted galvanised Box Office figures at the end of 2021, with ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ providing a major boost. Compared to 2020, Box Office figures have increased by 47.2% in France and 45% in Spain, respectively. In France in 2021, 96 million tickets were sold for cinema admissions compared to 65.2 million …
FIFA Club World Cup tickets on sale for Visa cardholders
Football fans in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that hold Visa cards are now able to purchase tickets for the country’s postponed FIFA Club World Cup through an exclusive pre-sale process. Visa cardholders are able to purchase tickets for the event until January 7, with tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. Any remaining tickets …
COVID passes ‘kill spontaneity’ says Parklife co-founder
Manchester-based Parklife festival and Warehouse Project co-founder Sacha Lord has said that the introduction of COVID-19 passports in England will “kill the spontaneity” of going out, according to reports. COVID-19 passes were introduced in England in December, meaning that attendees to events and venues had to provide proof of vaccination against coronavirus. Speaking to the …
Belgian court wins battle for theatres
Theatres and cultural venues in Belgium have won an initial legal victory to reopen after the Belgian Government imposed COVID-19 restrictions, forcing them to shut. Belgium’s supreme administrative court, The Council of State, suspended the forced closures announced by the Government to curb an increase in Omicron cases. The victory has not outlined what is …
2021 in review – January
The New Year kicked off with news of mergers, acquisitions and regulatory headwinds as vaccination roll-outs accelerated in key markets… Deutsche Entertainment AG (DEAG), which owns MyTicket, revealed in January that it planned to delist from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange after securing support of the entertainment firm’s largest single shareholder. Formula 1 owner Liberty Media, …
2021 in review – February
February saw light at the end of the tunnel for sports and live entertainment fans in England as the UK Government published a roadmap out of a coronavirus-enforced lockdown. It was announced that up to 10,000 fans could return to outdoor events from May 17, with all restrictions to be eventually removed in the summer. …
2021 in review – March
In March, the long journey towards the approval of the Viagogo and StubHub merger by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) began, with the CMA stating it proposed to accept the deal. The $4.05bn merger between Viagogo and StubHub would be dependent on the selling off of all StubHub’s businesses outside of North America. …
2021 in review – April
Fyre Festival hit the headlines the world over in 2017 and this year finally reached a settlement with 277 ticket holders. The US Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York approved a class action settlement with each ticket holder to receive $7,220 in pay-outs. The news came almost four years after the $100m …
2021 in review – May
May witnessed new trends introduced in the footballing world, as clubs began to navigate through the trials and tribulations of bringing back fans safely. German Bundesliga football club FC Bayern Munich announced it was going to move to a fully digital ticketing system for the 2021-22 season. Since March 2020, all home games at Bayern’s …
2021 in review – June
Companies began to see the light at the end of the tunnel following a difficult time during the pandemic, and June saw some major deals announced. Vivendi agreed to sell 10% of Universal Music Group (UMG) to US-based special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Pershing Square Tontine Holdings (PSTH). Vivendi is the parent company of UM …