ASM Global, Ticketmaster Extend Deal on Strength of Data Harvesting

ASM Global and Ticketmaster announced an extension of their partnership Tuesday. The agreement will keep the Live Nation Entertainment-owned ticketing giant as the vendor serving a number of ASM’s North American properties, which include stadiums, arenas and convention centers.

“With amazing content in all of our venues as a powerful foundation, we continue to discover imaginative new methods that leverage breakthrough technologies to create unparalleled consumer journeyes including innovative food and beverage and premium VIP treatement for fans,” says ASM Global President and CEO Ron Bension. “Aligning with industry leaders like Ticketmaster is a critical component in providing millions of people with the most seamless and secure live experiences.”

As part of the continuing integration, ASM will deploy TIcketmaster’s Live Analytics dashboard, which is touted as providing “insights and tools for better fan engagement across events of all kinds.”

“We are committed to helping ASM deliver world-class events where the ticketing process elevates the entire fan experience,” said Mark Yovich, president, Ticketmaster. “Like Ticketmaster, ASM cares deeply about the customer journey and the value of building strong relationships with fans from the moment they purchase a ticket to well after the event ends.”

Reading between the lines, this deal appears to be largely built upon the ability of Ticketmaster’s systems to acquire and sort customer data to send on to its clients, such as ASM. Access platforms such as Ticketmaster’s SafeTix are built with dual purpose in mind – hampering consumer rights to control over tickets that they have purchased, and harvesting massive amounts of data by requiring opt-in for that information, which can then be shared to power marketing and other business efforts.

Interestingly, ASM Global is continuing this relationship with Ticketmaster rather than partnering with AXS. ASM Global was created through a merger of AEG Facilities and SMG in late 2019 – making AEG the co-owner of the company. AEG owns and operates AXS ticketing, which is a direct competitor to Ticketmaster. AXS offers similarly data-intrusive ticketing options for its clients, but ASM has opted to continue on with the Live Nation brand rather than going exclusively with the company within the same corporate umbrella.

And the ASM Global business is a significant partner for Ticketmaster.

“ASM is our largest partner in North America, and we are proud to grow our great work together,” said Michael Rapino, president and CEO, Live Nation Entertainment. “We are committed to supporting ASM’s efforts to provide fans with best-in-class ticketing and fan-engagement now and into the future.”