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September gave the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and SecuTix a chance to reflect on one of the success stories of the year \u2013 the inaugural edition of The Hundred<\/a>, a tournament that had been postponed from 2020.<\/p>\n In spite of the uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 backdrop, half a million tickets were sold, with 55% of those purchases made by new buyers \u2013 a crucial aim for the organisers. The Hundred\u2019s triumph was recognised later in the year at TheTicketingBusiness Awards<\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n In other news, Live Nation announced it would press ahead with its long-awaited acquisition of Mexican concert promoter OCESA Entretenimiento<\/a> for $450m (\u00a3325m\/\u20ac381m). The deal was negotiated to secure Live Nation a 51% controlling stake in OCESA. To help finance the deal, Live Nation launched a $450m common stock offering<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ticketing reseller Viagogo\u2019s merger with StubHub was finally rubber-stamped<\/a> by the UK\u2019s Competition and Markets Authority, following a number of false-starts. The original $4.05bn (\u00a33bn\/\u20ac3.5bn) deal had been originally agreed in November 2019. The regulator approved the merger after StubHub agreed to sell its international business and both parties said they would comply with a number of terms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In another blow for international fans of the Olympics, as it was announced that only those based in mainland China<\/a> would be allowed to attend the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. The International Olympic Committee confirmed the decision and said that domestic ticket-holders would need to meet COVID-19 countermeasure requirements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The announcement came in the same month that Beijing\u2019s first foreign theme park, backed by Universal, opened to huge interest<\/a>, with among 12 million visitors expected in its first year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n