Ticketmaster has
entered into an agreement with Post Danmark A/S to acquire BILLETnet A/S, the premier ticketing company in Denmark. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"The acquisition of BILLETnet follows our recent expansion into the Netherlands and Norway and adds another important market to Ticketmaster's growing European network," said Edwin S. ("Trip") Friendly III, executive vice president of Ticketmaster International. "With the leading ticketing companies in Denmark and Norway, Ticketmaster has greater scale in the Nordic region where we plan to grow our business organically and through further acquisitions. BILLETnet is very well-managed with strong growth prospects, and we are delighted to welcome Managing Director Erik B. Lyngso and his team to Ticketmaster's international family."
BILLETnet has been servicing the Danish market since 1991, selling more than 2 million tickets annually with a client list including some of the country's leading venues and event producers. Headquartered in Copenhagen, BILLETnet currently represents more than 100 theatres, and 450 sporting and music venues and tickets nearly 5,500 live events annually.
"BILLETnet has built a solid foundation as the industry leader in Denmark and will be a key part of Ticketmaster's European operations," said Peter Jackson, executive vice president of Europe. "We intend to put the full complement of Ticketmaster's technology offerings in place to provide patrons with greater convenience purchasing tickets, in retail ticket outlets, on the phone, at the box office and over the Internet."
"The ticketing market in Denmark is rapidly developing and our agreement with Ticketmaster ensures that BILLETnet will be on the leading edge of that growth," added Bjarne Wind, member of the Executive Board of Post Danmark. "Ticketmaster brings the experience and strength needed to be truly competitive on an international level."
Ticketmaster's European ticketing operations now include England, Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway and Denmark. Confirmation of its international scope and scale came earlier this year when Ticketmaster was appointed as the official ticketing provider and supporter of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
By combining Ticketmaster's wide array of technology solutions and ticketing services with BILLETnet 's client relationships, Ticketmaster plans to provide clients and consumers throughout Denmark with broad and convenient access to live entertainment tickets. Ticketmaster is acquiring BILLETnet from Post Danmark A/S and will continue to provide ticketing services through the Post's extensive nationwide outlet network.
"We are very excited about this announcement, and believe Ticketmaster's expertise in the business and commitment to providing ticketing and access solutions will benefit our clients by supporting their ticket sales and enabling them develop their business further," said Erik B. Lyngso, managing director of BILLETnet. "We also expect to leverage Ticketmaster's technology in order to enter new market segments and expand our client base."
