Eventim Gets Into Italian Movies

German entertainment giant CTS Eventim has purchased a 60 percent stake in CREA, an Italian company that sells more than 80 million cinema tickets each year.

Photo: eventim.com

CREA founder and chief exec Alberto Casati is hanging on to the other 40 percent.

Eventim, which co-owns a half-dozen of Germany’s major promoters, has ticketing as its core business and has operations in 19 European countries.

The CREA deal was done through Ticket One, Eventim’s Milan-based Italian subsidiary.

CREA software is used by more than 1,000 movie houses and also sells tickets for a growing number of nightclubs.

With Eventim as the major shareholder, it’s expected to increase its involvement in the live entertainment business.

Ticket One has recently started to sell tickets for museums and cultural events.

“This acquisition will strengthen our market position in Italy again and also lay the foundation for the integration of theater and event ticketing,” said Eventim founder and chief exec Klaus- Peter Schulenberg. “Due to the similar structure of the customer base, there’s considerable growth potential in both directions.”