Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Extends Ticketmaster Partnership In Denver

Ticketmaster will be the official ticketer for the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth, Pepsi Center, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Paramount Theater and 1STBANK Center after Kroenke Sports & Entertainment announced an extension of their one-year partnership in the “long-term” today.

Ticketmaster has been working with Kroenke since it acquired Rival, a ticketing company co-founded by former Ticketmaster CEO Nathan Hubbard. The U.S. Department of Justice approved the acquisition of Rival and the transfer of its Kroenke contract in March, Billboard reported in April, and Hubbard departed the company to pursue other ventures. 

The announcement deals specifically with Denver-based teams and venues, and applies to Altitude Tickets, KSE’s Denver ticketing brand. The announcement of the extension does not mention ticketing for the Los Angeles Rams or Kroenke’s forthcoming SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., though Ticketmaster also does the ticketing for SoFi.

“Providing the best possible and most secure fan experience in the region is KSE’s top priority,” KSE EVP/Chief Ticketing and Strategy Officer David Burke said in a statement. “Ticketmaster’s innovative ticketing technology is an integral part of providing the most seamless live event experience for fans from increased personalization to safely buying, selling and sharing their tickets to entering our venues safely and conveniently.”

The technology referenced includes the Ticketmaster Presence digital ticketing and access control platform, as well as the SafeTix encrypted barcode technology, both of which will be introduced at all Denver-based KSE venues.

Ticketmaster president Jared Smith was named to Pollstar’s 2020 Impact 50 list and said that the company was poised to roll out SafeTix technology and identity-based mobile ticketing at 80%-90% of its customers in 2020, before the live industry shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.