What countries have Ticketmaster?

Ticketmaster is a major global ticket sales and distribution company that provides ticketing services for many large-scale events around the world. While the company is headquartered in the United States, it has a significant international presence and provides ticketing services in multiple countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Ticketmaster first began providing ticketing services in the United States in 1976 and expanded into Canada in 1978. Over the following decades, the company grew rapidly through a series of acquisitions and partnerships, extending its services across additional countries. Some of the key events in Ticketmaster’s international expansion include:

• 1982 – Entered the UK market through a joint venture with the promoter Andrew Lloyd Webber.
• 1991 – Acquired CTN, a UK ticketing company, to become the largest ticketing company in the UK.
• 1993 – Partnered with Optimal Media Enterprise in Australia to form Ticketek and expand into the Australian market.
• 1996 – Acquired Ticket Service in Norway to establish a presence in Scandinavia.
• 1998 – Partnered with Eventim to expand into Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Through this ongoing expansion, Ticketmaster has grown to provide ticketing services in 29 countries around the world today. It has a particularly strong presence in English-speaking and European markets. Some of the major countries where Ticketmaster sells tickets include:

North America

• United States
• Canada
• Mexico

As an American company founded in Arizona, Ticketmaster first established its business in the United States and Canada. It remains the dominant primary ticket outlet in these two countries, providing ticketing for concert tours, sporting events and more. The company expanded into Mexico more recently, launching operations there in 2019.

Europe

• United Kingdom
• Ireland
• Germany
• Spain
• Norway
• Sweden
• Finland
• Denmark
• Netherlands
• Italy
• Switzerland
• Belgium
• Austria

Ticketmaster has a wide presence across Europe, especially in western European countries. It entered the UK market in the 1980s and has since expanded across much of continental Europe through various acquisitions and partnerships. Some eastern European countries where Ticketmaster tickets can be purchased include Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

Asia Pacific

• Australia
• New Zealand

Ticketek, Ticketmaster’s joint venture with Optimal Media Enterprise, has established Ticketmaster as a major ticketing company in Australia and New Zealand since the early 1990s. It provides ticketing services for rugby, cricket, concerts and other live entertainment events across the two countries.

Countries Where Ticketmaster Operates

Here is a full list of countries where Ticketmaster sells tickets as of 2023:

Major Events Using Ticketmaster

Across these countries, Ticketmaster sells tickets for a wide variety of major concerts, sporting events, festivals, and live entertainment. Some examples include:

• Concerts – Ticketmaster is a major ticket provider for large concert tours from global pop, rock and rap artists. This includes artists like Taylor Swift, BTS, Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, and many more.
• Sporting Events – In the US and Canada, Ticketmaster sells tickets for NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and other major professional leagues. It also provides ticketing internationally for events like Champions League soccer, Formula One racing, and the Australian Open tennis tournament.
• Theaters – Ticketmaster tickets can be purchased for popular musicals, plays, operas and other theatrical productions in places like Broadway in New York and West End in London.
• Festivals – Major multi-day music festivals globally rely on Ticketmaster for ticketing, including Coachella, Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and Rock in Rio.

Ticketmaster’s Dominant Position

Thanks to its long history and aggressive expansion through acquisitions, Ticketmaster has attained a dominant position in the live event ticketing industry internationally. It is estimated to have a 70-80% global market share. The company sells over 500 million tickets annually and processes 14 billion online and mobile visits.

In many countries, Ticketmaster essentially has a near monopoly on large-scale event ticketing. Its market dominance has led to some criticism over the years for alleged anti-competitive practices. But its scale and reach continue to provide Ticketmaster with immense clout in how tickets are sold worldwide.

Challenges to Ticketmaster’s Dominance

Despite its leading position, Ticketmaster has faced some challenges and new competitors in recent years aiming to break its dominance in certain markets:

• AXS – Launched by AEG, one of the world’s largest event promoters, AXS competes with Ticketmaster for ticketing concerts and other events in the US, UK and Europe.
• Eventbrite – Provides self-service event ticketing focused on smaller music, comedy and community events. Competes more for mid-tier events below Ticketmaster’s scale.
• SeatGeek – An upstart aiming to use technology and innovation to disrupt Ticketmaster. Has gained traction selling NFL, NBA and MLS tickets.
• Resale sites – Secondary resale platforms like StubHub (owned by Ticketmaster itself) have reduced Ticketmaster’s share of the total event ticketing market.

However, Ticketmaster still largely maintains its stronghold on major concert tours and top-tier sporting events globally. Its worldwide infrastructure, long-established client relationships and extensive inventory give it substantial advantages.

Conclusion

In summary, Ticketmaster sells tickets for live entertainment events in at least 29 countries across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. It has a particularly dominant position in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. While facing some new challengers, Ticketmaster continues leading the global ticketing industry thanks to its worldwide scale, infrastructure and long-running relationships with top venues, promoters and rights holders.