Ticketmaster expands into Asia with presence in Singapore and Taiwan

Ticketing company Ticketmaster is expanding into Asia for the first time with the launch of Ticketmaster Singapore and the acquisition of Tixcraft in Taiwan. While the company was already operating in Australia (since 1978) and New Zealand (since 2005), it had yet to make an entry into Southeast, South, and North Asia.

The news follows a December 2019 announcement that Ticketmaster had secured a place on the Sports Hub panel in Singapore which meant that it was one of three ticketing companies that event promoters could select in market. Sports Hub is Singapore’s sports and entertainment complex which includes the National Stadium, the Indoor Stadium, and a number of other facilities.

Chad Phillips, former managing director for APACTix, has been appointed to the newly created role of managing director of Ticketmaster Asia, and will be based in Singapore.

In Taiwan, meanwhile, Tixcraft is a primary music ticketing platform and its merger with Ticketmaster means that it can now leverage the latter’s tech resources and tap into its global network. KT Chiu, who is currently managing director at Tixcraft, will remain at the company to serve as managing director for Ticketmaster Taiwan.

“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,” said Chiu.

Ticketmaster is owned by Live Nation Entertainment, an entertainment and concert promotions company that recently acquired promoter One Production in Singapore and PR Worldwide in Malaysia while also making senior appointments to its growing business in China. The company is behind some of the region’s biggest concerts including U2’s recent Joshua Tree tour stop in Singapore.

Last year, Ticketmaster competitor Eventbrite announced its entry into Asia with presences in Hong Kong and Singapore. Both Eventbrite and Ticketmaster attributed the region’s immense growth in the live event and entertainment sector as a reason for their expansion.