Ticketmaster expands Asian operations in Taiwan and Singapore

Ticketmaster has today announced it will be expanding its Asian operations through the acquisition of Tixcraft in Taiwan and launching Ticketmaster Singapore -  increasing its global presence to 32 countries.

The expansion will see fans from across Asia gain access to Ticketmaster’s services, while artists and event promoters will be able to take full advantage of Ticketmaster’s innovative ticketing solutions.

Processing more than 500 million primary tickets annually, as Ticketmaster continues to expand its operations and market share across the world the Live Nation owned platform sees Asia as a key region with a growing live entertainment business and significant venues.

The news follows the December 2019 announcement that Ticketmaster was successful in securing a place on the Sports Hub panel in Singapore which means it is one of three ticketing companies that promoters can select in market. Sports Hub is Singapore’s Sports and Entertainment complex – incorporating the 55,000 capacity National Stadium, a 12,000 capacity Indoor Stadium (the main venues for concerts in Singapore that have hosted acts such as U2 and Mayday) along with a 3,000 capacity Arena and a number of other facilities.

Mark Yovich, President of Ticketmaster International advised “by acquiring market leaders Tixcraft in Taiwan and launching in Singapore, we have established two great bases with talented teams to support the bourgeoning live entertainment scene in Asia. We are introducing greater levels of service and choice to event organisers across the region and can now provide fans with seamless access to our worldwide marketplace of events.”

As a result of the move, Chad Phillips, former Managing Director for APACTix has been appointed to the newly created role of Managing Director Ticketmaster Asia, based in Singapore.

Commenting on the appointment, Phillips noted “over recent years, the live entertainment industry across Asia has seen some immense growth and right now is the perfect time to welcome Ticketmaster to Taiwan and Singapore. I’m hugely excited to be joining the team and look forward to managing the rollout of the world’s most innovative ticketing marketplace.” 

Founded in 2014 by KT Chiu, Tixcraft is Taiwan’s leading music ticketing platform working with the biggest promoters in Taiwan including B’in, Live Nation Taiwan and iMe Taiwan. KT Chiu currently serving as Managing Director will remain at the company serving as Managing Director for Ticketmaster Taiwan.

Chiu added “as the global leader in ticketing, it’s an honour to be part of Ticketmaster. By bringing its technology and service to Taiwan and tapping into the company’s huge global network, we will revolutionise the ticketing experience for fans, venues, sports clubs and event organisers in Taiwan.”

The launch of Ticketmaster in Taiwan and Singapore complements Live Nation’s existing concert promotions business across Asia Pacific. Live Nation has offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane & Auckland. In 2019, the company announced major growth of its business in Singapore by acquiring leading promoter One Production and PR Worldwide in Malaysia while also making significant senior appointments to its growing business in China. In December last year, Live Nation Asia launched Live Nation Connects, a new creative marketing agency to connect brands to fans across Asia.

Images: Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium, a multi-use stadium located in Taoyuan City, Taiwan (top, courtesy of BTS via Big Hit Entertainment) and the Singapore Sports Hub (below).