CTS Eventim
A German ticketing, live-entertainment promotion, and venue-management group operating across Europe and selected international markets.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
CTS Eventim is a German leisure-events company whose businesses span ticketing, live-entertainment promotion, venue operation, and related event services. Its principal consumer-facing platform, Eventim, sells tickets for concerts, festivals, theatre, sports, cultural programs, and other public events through websites, mobile channels, box offices, and distribution partners. The group also operates or holds interests in national ticketing businesses under brands such as Ticketcorner, TicketOne, Oeticket, Lippu.fi, Billetlugen, Entradas, France Billet, See Tickets, and Eventim-branded regional platforms. The company traces its origins to CTS Computer Ticket Service GmbH, founded in Munich on 4 November 1989 by concert promoters Marcel Avram and Matthias Hoffmann. Klaus-Peter Schulenberg acquired the business in 1996 and subsequently developed it from a German ticketing provider into an integrated entertainment group. CTS Eventim became partially publicly traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in February 2000. That year also marked a major strategic shift: the company entered live entertainment through partial investments in German concert-promotion businesses, creating a business model that combined ticket distribution with the creation and promotion of events. Over the following decades, CTS Eventim expanded through acquisitions, minority investments, partnerships, and venue operations. Its live-entertainment portfolio came to include interests associated with promoters such as Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur, Peter Rieger Konzertagentur, Semmel Concerts, Argo Konzerte, FKP Scorpio, and Dirk Becker Entertainment. International expansion added businesses including Ticket Online, Holiday on Ice, Barracuda Music in Austria, Vertigo and Friends & Partners in Italy, and ticketing operations in France, Spain, and the Netherlands. The group also diversified beyond music and conventional event admission: it acquired Kinoheld, a cinema-ticketing specialist, and became involved in major arenas and outdoor venues. Venue operations form another pillar of the business. CTS Eventim has operated or held interests in prominent locations including Berlin's Waldbühne, Cologne's Lanxess Arena, London's Hammersmith Apollo, and Copenhagen's K.B. Hallen. These assets give the group exposure not only to ticket transactions but also to venue programming, audience development, and event infrastructure. The live-entertainment division similarly gives CTS Eventim a role in booking, producing, and promoting tours, festivals, and other large-scale events. The group has continued to pursue international growth through initiatives such as Eventim Live Asia, announced in 2021, and an announced plan for a large multipurpose arena in Italy. Its operating structure is consequently broader than the Eventim consumer brand alone: CTS Eventim is a portfolio of ticketing platforms, promoters, venue businesses, and entertainment investments. The company is headquartered in Bremen and is a constituent of Germany's MDAX index. Its strategic position rests on vertical integration across event production, ticket distribution, venue management, and digital customer access.
History
CTS Eventim began as CTS Computer Ticket Service GmbH, established in Munich on 4 November 1989 by concert promoters Marcel Avram and Matthias Hoffmann. The original business focused on computer-supported ticket distribution, an area that was becoming increasingly important as event organizers sought more efficient ways to allocate and sell admission inventory. Klaus-Peter Schulenberg acquired the company in 1996. Under his leadership, the business expanded beyond its original German ticketing focus and developed a broader entertainment strategy. On 1 February 2000, CTS Eventim was partially floated on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. In the same year, the company entered live entertainment through partial acquisitions of German concert promoters. Investments associated with Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur, Peter Rieger Konzertagentur, Semmel Concerts, Argo Konzerte, FKP Scorpio, and Dirk Becker Entertainment helped connect the company's ticketing infrastructure with event creation and promotion. The group subsequently pursued a multi-country acquisition and partnership strategy. Ticket Online was acquired in full in 2010. Holiday on Ice became part of the portfolio through a 50 percent investment in 2014 and a complete acquisition in 2016. In 2014, CTS Eventim also acquired Stage Entertainment's remaining ticketing businesses in France, Spain, and the Netherlands. The company expanded its promoter interests in 2017 through stakes in Austrian Barracuda Music and Italian businesses Vertigo and Friends & Partners. In 2018, it acquired a majority interest in the Italian company DI and GI Srl, associated with the Lucca Summer Festival. CTS Eventim also expanded its physical footprint. It began operating Berlin's Waldbühne in the late 2000s and later added or operated other important venues, including Cologne's Lanxess Arena, London's Hammersmith Apollo, and Copenhagen's K.B. Hallen. Venue involvement gave the group additional control over programming, ticket distribution, and audience relationships while complementing its promoter and ticketing activities. Diversification continued in adjacent ticketing categories. In 2015, CTS Eventim acquired 51 percent of Kinoheld, a German cinema-ticketing company, and raised its holding to 100 percent in 2018. In France, Eventim France and France Billet combined their activities in 2019, with CTS Eventim holding 48 percent of the resulting business. In Switzerland, the group's subsidiaries were combined with Gadget Entertainment AG and Wepromote Entertainment Group Switzerland AG in 2020, creating Gadget abc Entertainment Group AG, in which CTS Eventim held 60 percent. The company also developed its international live-entertainment ambitions. A proposed United States joint venture with Michael Cohl was announced in February 2020. In July 2021, CTS Eventim launched Eventim Live Asia. The following month, it announced plans to construct PalaItalia, a large multipurpose arena in Italy. These moves reflected an effort to extend the group beyond European ticketing into international live-event production and major venue development. CTS Eventim has supported the German popular-music education ecosystem as well. Since 2008, together with other sponsors, it has supported the continuation of the Kontaktstudiengang Popularmusik at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, now known as Eventim Popkurs. By the late 2010s and early 2020s, CTS Eventim had become an integrated entertainment group with ticketing interests in numerous countries, live-promotion businesses, and venue operations. The Eventim consumer brand remains central, but the wider corporate group operates through a portfolio of national ticketing brands and specialized entertainment companies. CTS Eventim is headquartered in Bremen and is included in Germany's MDAX index.
- 2021
Eventim Live Asia launches
[1]The company establishes a live-entertainment initiative for Asian markets.
- 2021
PalaItalia arena plans announced
[1]CTS Eventim announces plans for a major multipurpose arena in Italy.
- 2020
Swiss subsidiaries are combined
[1]CTS Eventim's Swiss businesses are combined with Gadget Entertainment and Wepromote Entertainment Group Switzerland into Gadget abc Entertainment Group.
- 2019
French ticketing combination
[1]Eventim France and France Billet combine their French operations, with CTS Eventim holding 48 percent.
- 2018
Kinoheld becomes wholly owned
[1]CTS Eventim raises its ownership of Kinoheld to 100 percent and takes a majority stake in DI and GI Srl in Italy.
- 2017
Expansion in Austria and Italy
[1]CTS Eventim acquires stakes in Barracuda Music, Vertigo, and Friends & Partners.
- 2016
Holiday on Ice becomes wholly owned
[1]The group completes its acquisition of Holiday on Ice.
- 2015
Kinoheld investment
[1]CTS Eventim acquires a 51 percent interest in German cinema-ticketing company Kinoheld.
- 2014
International ticketing and Holiday on Ice expansion
[1]CTS Eventim acquires Stage Entertainment's remaining ticketing businesses in France, Spain, and the Netherlands and takes a 50 percent stake in Holiday on Ice.
- 2010
Ticket Online acquisition
[1]The group acquires Ticket Online in full.
Products and positioning
Integrated European ticketing and live-entertainment platform
Digital and physical ticketing
Eventim
Eventim is the group's principal ticketing brand and digital platform. It provides tickets for concerts, festivals, theatre, sports, cultural events, and other leisure activities through online channels, mobile services, box offices, and partner distribution. The brand operates in multiple national markets, with local offerings adapted to each country's event ecosystem.
National ticketing platform
TicketOne
TicketOne is CTS Eventim's Italian ticketing business. It distributes admission for music, entertainment, culture, sport, and other public events and forms part of the group's broader Italian presence alongside live promoters and festival-related interests.
National ticketing platform
Ticketcorner
Ticketcorner is the group's Swiss ticketing brand. It provides event discovery, ticket sales, and distribution services for a broad range of entertainment and cultural events in Switzerland.
National ticketing platform
Oeticket
Oeticket is the Austrian ticketing platform associated with CTS Eventim. It sells tickets for concerts, festivals, theatre, sport, and other events through digital and conventional distribution channels.
International ticketing platform
See Tickets
See Tickets is a ticketing brand operating in the United Kingdom and other markets. It supports event discovery, online sales, and ticket distribution for promoters and venues across music and live entertainment.
Cinema ticketing
Kinoheld
Kinoheld is a German cinema-ticketing business acquired by CTS Eventim. Its services extend the group's ticketing capabilities into cinema admissions rather than live events alone.
Concert and event promotion · 2000
Live entertainment promotion
Through subsidiaries and investments, CTS Eventim promotes concerts, tours, festivals, and other live events. This activity gives the group a role in assembling programs, working with artists and promoters, managing event economics, and connecting event supply to its ticketing channels.
Venue management
Venue operations
CTS Eventim operates or holds interests in major European venues, including Waldbühne in Berlin, Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Hammersmith Apollo in London, and K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen. Venue activities complement ticketing and promotion by providing exposure to programming, facilities, and audience operations.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008Eventim Popkurs support
Germany
CTS Eventim joined other sponsors in supporting the continuation of Hamburg's popular-music study program, later known as Eventim Popkurs.
Outcome. The program continued under the Eventim Popkurs name.
Brand decisions
2021
Expand live entertainment into AsiaStrategyBackground
The group sought to extend its live-promotion capabilities beyond its established European markets.
Action taken
CTS Eventim launched Eventim Live Asia.
Aftermath
The initiative established a dedicated platform for Asian live-entertainment opportunities.
2021
Plan a major Italian multipurpose arenaOtherBackground
The group aimed to deepen its involvement in venue infrastructure and large-scale event hosting.
Action taken
CTS Eventim announced plans to construct PalaItalia in Italy.
2015
Enter cinema ticketingStrategyBackground
CTS Eventim pursued adjacent admission categories beyond concerts and conventional live events.
Action taken
The company acquired 51 percent of Kinoheld.
Aftermath
CTS Eventim increased its holding to full ownership in 2018.
2000
Combine ticketing with live-entertainment promotionStrategyBackground
The company sought to expand beyond ticket distribution and participate directly in the creation and promotion of events.
Action taken
CTS Eventim took partial interests in several German concert promoters.
Aftermath
This became the foundation of the group's integrated ticketing and live-entertainment model.
Recent events
Reported
CTS Eventim launches Eventim Live Asia[4]
CTS Eventim launched Eventim Live Asia, a Singapore-based joint venture established in partnership with Jason Miller.
Reported
CTS Eventim forms a US partnership with Michael Cohl[5]
CTS Eventim entered a new 50:50 partnership with promoter Michael Cohl. Eventim has a controlling interest in the new entity, which is based in New York City.
Sources5 sources
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