Vivendi’s See Tickets Acquires Starticket In Switzerland

See Tickets today announced the acquisition of Starticket, a major player in Switzerland with over five million tickets sold annually.

Financials of the deal weren’t disclosed.

The merger will increase See Tickets’ annual ticket sales volume to almost 30 million tickets. The company is part of Vivendi’s live arm Vivendi Village.

Starticket is owned by private Swiss media group Tamedia, which has adopted a new corporate structure and name, effective Jan. 1, 2020, and is now known as TX Group.

TX had been searching a partner to help Starticket grow and meet the challenges of rapid technological changes for some time now. In October 2017, a merger between Starticket and CTS Eventim’s Swiss operation Ticketcorner was announced. 

The deal would have combined the two biggest ticketing operators in the country, giving them an estimated share of around 90% of the market. In February 2017, Switzerland’s anti-trust commission (Wettbewerbskommission) prohibited the merger from going ahead.

By its own admission, the company today serves some 10,000 show and event promoters with an active presence in nine European countries and in the United States.

Commenting on the See Tickets/Starticket merger, Rob Wilmshurst, global CEO of See Tickets, said: “We have long admired Starticket as a stand out independent ticketing company in Switzerland and I know that together we will be able to further develop the quality and range of services to our clients and customers in the country.”

 

Samuel Hügli, head of technology & ventures at TX Group, added: “With this acquisition by See Tickets, Starticket will become part of a leading international ticketing service provider that uses cutting-edge technology and has a huge network with numerous partnerships. 

“This will strengthen Starticket in international competition and allow See Tickets to benefit from Starticket’s many years of experience in the Swiss market.”