ASM Global, Ticketmaster Extend Partnership

ASM Global has announced an extension of its partnership with Ticketmaster for many North American stadiums, arenas, convention centers and performing arts facilities.

The deal is an extension of an existing partnership and an expansion, as Ticketmaster will now be allowed to conduct ticket sales for Live Nation shows at North American ASM Global venues. 

“With amazing content in all of our venues as a powerful foundation, we continue to discover imaginative new methods that leverage breakthrough technologies to create unparalleled consumer journeys including innovative food and beverage and premium VIP treatment for fans,” ASM Global President and CEO Ron Bension said in a statement. “Aligning with industry leaders like Ticketmaster is a critical component in providing millions of people with the most seamless and secure live experiences.”

Live Nation CEO and President Michael Rapino added: “ASM is our largest partner in North America, and we are proud to grow our great work together.”

“We are committed to supporting ASM’s efforts to provide fans with best-in-class ticketing and fan-engagement now and into the future.”

ASM Global is one of the world’s largest facility management companies, a union of AEG Facilities and SMG that was finalized in 2019. It is responsible for the management of 300 venues on five continents.

Ticketmaster will also be helping ASM Global with its ticketing needs by providing it with access to Ticketmaster’s Live Analytics dashboard, which will provide the venues with insights and tools to improve fan engagement across all events. 

Ticketmaster invests millions of dollars into the development of new technologies and Ticketmaster president Mark Yovich – who was recently named to Pollstar’s annual Impact 50 list – said that the company focused intensely on digital ticketing technology while the live event industry was mostly shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ron Bension was formerly president of Live Nation’s clubs & theaters division, and joined ASM Global as president and CEO in March. 

Ticketmaster became the ticketing arm of Live Nation Entertainment after the U.S. Department of Justice allowed the ticketing company and promoter to merge in 2010. The consent decree that allowed Ticketmaster and Live Nation to merge was extended for another five-and-a-half years in January 2020.

One of the conditions of that original consent decree, according to a 2010 speech from Assistant Attorney General Christine A. Varney, was that it “essentially forbids Ticketmaster from servicing AEG venues in the future, which requires AEG to have its own ticketing platform ready for use within five years, or to direct its business to one of Ticketmaster’s remaining competitors.”  

AEG does have its own ticketing company in AXS, as AEG purchased full ownership of the platform in 2019, but a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to Pollstar that ASM Global is a separate company, outside of the AEG umbrella.