CTS EVENTIM AG takes over additional 49.826% of TicketOne S.p.A. in Italy

Munich, 21 May 2010. CTS EVENTIM AG, listed on the SDAX exchange (ISIN DE0005470306), successfully completed its acquisition of TicketOne, the leader of the Italian ticketing market, today. The remaining 49.826% stake in TicketOne SpA was taken over from AMFIN, a Italian financial investment company and the co-owner until now, by exercising the purchase option agreed upon in 2007. This means that, through an intermediate holding, CTS EVENTIM now holds more than 99.65% of the Italian market leader. 
 
Milan-based TicketOne was established in 1998 and is Italy’s leading provider of ticketing services. Ticket sales for the XXth Winter Olympic Games in Turin in 2006 were also organised and handled successfully by TicketOne.  
 
TOST (theatre ticket sales, TicketOne stake 60%) and Panischi (holder of distribution rights for numerous major promoters in Italy, TicketOne stake 100%) are two companies that also belong to TicketOne. In the 2009 financial year, the TicketOne Group generated revenue of EUR 20.3 million and an EBITDA of EUR 6.5 million. Since 2007, the year in which the CTS EVENTIM Group first acquired shares in TicketOne, the company has significantly increased revenue and income, and is also budgeting for continued dynamic growth in revenue and profits in the future. The growth driver, as in Germany, is the migration of conventional ticketing business to the Internet as a more profitable sales channel. 
 
The current shares in TicketOne were bought for around EUR 20.6 million. When combined with the previously purchased shares, the total price paid by CTS EVENTIM AG for almost 100% of the shares amounts to EUR 36.9 million. 
 
For CTS EVENTIM AG, completion of this acquisition in Italy is an example of how the company is consistently pursuing its European expansion strategy. In March 2010, CTS EVENTIM took over Ticketcorner, the Swiss market leader.