Market Currents

• Tuesday, December 22, 2009

• 08:01 AM In an abrupt reversal, U.K.'s antitrust regulator approves Ticketmaster (TKTM) and Live Nation's (LYV) merger, saying it "will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in the market for live music ticket retailing or in any other market." 1 Comment

• Friday, October 16, 2009

• 08:02 AM Ticketmaster Entertainment (TKTM) and Live Nation (LYV) are facing intense antitrust scrutiny for their proposed merger, and may be forced to make concessions to complete the deal, sources say. The outcome could have potential repercussions for other high-profile deals such as Comcast’s (CMCSA) rumored proposal to take a majority stake in GE’s (GE) NBC Universal. Comment!

• Thursday, October 8, 2009

• 08:21 AM Britain's Competition Commission opposes the proposed merger of Ticketmaster (TKTM) and Live Nation (LYV), saying it would lead to higher prices and less competition. In response, Ticketmaster stressed that live music is now the industry's driving force, and says it's still "optimistic that it will ultimately be approved." (CC ruling (.pdf)) Comment!

• Monday, October 5, 2009

• 10:26 AM A ticket broker accuses Ticketmaster (TKTM +0.8%) and CEO Irving Azoff of paying him extra to sell prime tickets to high-profile concerts at a premium to their face value. 1 Comment

• Thursday, August 13, 2009

• 16:07 PM Ticketmaster (TKTM): Q2 EPS of $0.20 misses by $0.04. Revenue of $312M (-18%) vs. $396M. Shares -2.8% AH. (PR) Comment!

• Thursday, June 11, 2009

• 08:32 AM U.K. antitrust regulators are investigating a proposed merger between Live Nation (LYV) and Ticketmaster (TKTM) because "there is a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition." A Justice Department review is already under way. Comment!

• Tuesday, April 7, 2009

• 08:04 AM StubHub (EBAY), the largest online reseller of tickets, has met with regulators over Ticketmaster's (TKTM) proposed merger with Live Nation (LYV), says CEO Chris Tsakalakis. He's concerned the combined company will try to freeze out resellers. 1 Comment

• Wednesday, April 1, 2009

• 12:53 PM Ticketmaster (TKTM) and Tickets.com launch services to let consumers buy tickets on their cellphones. The moves are aimed at early adapters to see just how much the shift to smart phones will impact ticketing behavior. Comment!

• Thursday, February 12, 2009

• 13:54 PM DoJ's probe of Live Nation (LYN) / Ticketmaster (TKTM) merger will focus on their overlap in ticketing, venue control, and talent management. The case is being closely watched to gauge new antitrust chief Christine Varney's approach. Comment!

• Tuesday, February 10, 2009

• 09:49 AM The boards of Live Nation (LYV) and Ticketmaster (TKTM) approve a merger agreement, laying the groundwork for what will likely be an intense regulatory review. 1 Comment

• Monday, February 9, 2009

• 09:47 AM Live Nation (LYV) and Ticketmaster (TKTM) move closer to a merger agreement. An announcement could come by tomorrow morning. LYV +1.5%. TKTM +0.1%. Comment!

• Wednesday, February 4, 2009

• 05:59 AM Sources say Ticketmaster (TKTM) and Live Nation (LYV) are in merger talks and could announce a deal as early as this week. Combining the two companies would create a music industry powerhouse with a combined market value of over $700M. Comment!

• Friday, September 12, 2008

• 06:08 AM Live Nation (LYV), set to launch its own ticketing-service in January, announces a deal to start selling venue-management firm SMG's tickets. The moves comes as a blow to Ticketmaster (TKTM), which currently handles the ticketing at Live Nation venues. Comment!

• Tuesday, August 26, 2008

• 11:47 AM Ticketmaster (TKTM) says a record 6.8M tickets were sold globally for the Beijing Olympics. The company handled all domestic ticket sales, and plans to use this opportunity to expand into the young ticket-brokering market in China. Comment!