Ticketmaster is a major ticket sales and distribution company that sells tickets for various live entertainment events. It operates in many countries around the world, but does it have a presence in France? The short answer is yes, Ticketmaster does operate in France.
Ticketmaster’s Presence in France
Ticketmaster has been operating in France since 2008. It launched its French website Ticketmaster.fr that year after acquiring a controlling stake in the French ticketing company Digitick.
Digitick had been one of the major primary ticket outlets in France since it was founded in 1995. By acquiring Digitick, Ticketmaster established an instant presence in the French market and built upon Digitick’s existing client base and relationships in the country.
The Ticketmaster France office is located in Paris. Ticketmaster France sells tickets for concerts, plays, sporting events and more throughout the country. Some of the major venues it sells tickets for include:
- AccorHotels Arena – Indoor sports arena and concert venue in Paris
- Stade de France – National sports stadium in Paris
- Palais des Sports de Paris – Indoor sports arena in Paris
- Le Dôme de Marseille – Indoor arena in Marseille
- Orange Vélodrome – Stadium and concert venue in Marseille
- Matmut Atlantique – Stadium in Bordeaux
- Groupama Stadium – Stadium in Lyon
Ticketmaster France has exclusive ticketing agreements in place with many major promoters, sports franchises and venues across France. This includes exclusive deals with premier soccer clubs Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and Olympique Lyonnais.
In addition to its website Ticketmaster.fr, tickets can also be purchased through Ticketmaster France’s mobile apps and at physical box office outlets throughout the country.
How Ticketmaster Operates in France
Ticketmaster France operates very similarly to Ticketmaster in other countries. Some key facts about how Ticketmaster works in France:
- For most events, Ticketmaster holds the inventory of tickets and handles all sales. Tickets are generally not sold through venues or box offices except those with exclusive partnerships.
- Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster.fr, mobile apps, phone sales and approved retail outlets.
- Tickets cannot be resold or transferred. The name printed on the ticket must match the ID of the attendee.
- Ticketmaster utilizes dynamic pricing, so ticket prices may adjust based on demand.
- There are standard Ticketmaster delivery fees per ticket.
- Tickets can be transferred between European Union countries if printed locally.
Ticketmaster France has embraced technology to enhance ticket buying. Fans can store their tickets in Apple Wallet or Google Pay for convenient digital access. Ticketmaster also utilizes SafeTix technology to reduce fraud and invalid tickets.
Notable Ticket Sales in France
As the dominant ticketing company in France, Ticketmaster sells tens of millions of tickets each year for the country’s biggest concerts, plays and sporting events. Here are some recent examples of major Ticketmaster France sales:
- Paris 2024 Summer Olympics – Ticketmaster holds exclusive rights to handle tickets sales for the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris.
- Rolling Stones 2022 Tour – Over 180,000 tickets sold for The Rolling Stones’ concert at Groupama Stadium in Lyon in July 2022.
- Rammstein 2022 Tour – 220,000 tickets sold nationwide for German metal band Rammstein’s 2022 stadium tour dates in France.
- Disney on Ice – Over 150,000 tickets sold for 10 Disney on Ice shows in Paris in late 2022.
- Drake 2022 Concert – The rapper’s two concerts at AccorHotels Arena sold over 100,000 tickets combined.
- Celine Dion Summer Tour – Dion’s 2023 tour includes stops in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and Paris, with huge ticket sales expected.
These examples demonstrate Ticketmaster’s dominance of major event ticketing in France. Very few major concerts, plays or sporting events happen without Ticketmaster being involved in ticket sales.
Competitors in France
While Ticketmaster is by far the leader, it does face some competition in the French ticketing market from several other companies:
| Competitor | Details |
|---|---|
| Fnac | Large French retailer that sells some concert/event tickets in-store and online. |
| France Billet | Wholly owned by French media company Vivendi. Sells tickets online and in stores. |
| Digitick | Still operates independently despite Ticketmaster ownership. Focus is smaller music events. |
| Weezevent | Online ticket sales platform used by many French venues directly. |
However, none of these come close to matching Ticketmaster’s reach, brand recognition and inventory in France. Ticketmaster enjoys strong partnerships and exclusive ticketing deals that its competitors lack.
Criticisms and Controversies
As in many countries, Ticketmaster France has faced some criticism and controversy over the years:
- Some consumers feel Ticketmaster fees are too high and inflated.
- There have been complaints about technical issues causing website crashes during high demand sales.
- Consumer groups often argue Ticketmaster holds an unfair monopoly.
- Dynamic pricing has led to accusations of unfairly escalating prices for hot events.
- Artists such as Bruce Springsteen have criticized Ticketmaster’s stranglehold on the industry.
Additionally, Ticketmaster France and its parent company have faced multiple lawsuits over the years accusing them of anti-competitive practices. These include exclusive dealing, locking up major venues and retaliation against venues that don’t use their services.
The criticisms have led to calls for greater competition in ticketing. Some proposals in France have included capping ticket fees and requiring venues to split ticket allocations between multiple sellers.
The Future for Ticketmaster France
Despite the criticisms, Ticketmaster remains strongly embedded as the top ticketing company in France. Its acquisition of Digitick gave it an instant foothold, which has been solidified through exclusivity agreements with major venues and promoters.
Moving forward, it is expected that Ticketmaster will:
- Continue aggressively pursuing exclusive ticketing contracts with French venues, sports teams and promoters.
- Sell the lion’s share of tickets for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- Look to acquire promising upstart competitors.
- Expand dynamic pricing and data analytics capabilities.
- Offer more digital ticket innovations such as NFT ticket collectibles.
- Potentially face stricter regulation of the ticketing industry.
Barring significant policy changes, Ticketmaster’s dominant position in French ticketing looks secure for the foreseeable future. With its resources and technology, it has managed to fend off competitors and lock up key partnerships. No competitor is positioned to displace Ticketmaster as France’s premier ticketing source.
The focus will remain on expanding relationships with venues, artists and promoters to maintain its extensive ticket inventory control. Ticketmaster France will continue selling the bulk of tickets for top concerts, sporting events and other live entertainment attractions throughout France.
Conclusion
In summary, Ticketmaster has established a major presence in the French ticketing market since acquiring Digitick in 2008. It sells tickets through Ticketmaster.fr, mobile apps and box offices for the vast majority of major concerts, plays, sporting events and family shows in France.
Despite facing some criticism over its fees and market dominance, Ticketmaster enjoys key exclusive deals and deep relationships that cement it as the leader in French ticketing. Competitors like Fnac and France Billet lag far behind in scale and inventory. Barring an unexpected shift, Ticketmaster France looks poised to continue selling most of the country’s top live entertainment tickets for the foreseeable future.
