On Location, the ticketing and hospitality firm partly owned by the NFL, has targeted global growth after acquiring premium sports ticketing business PrimeSport.
On Location has bought PrimeSport for an undisclosed fee from the Carlyle Group private equity group.
Atlanta-headquartered PrimeSport is a leading global sports travel and event management company, offering tickets, hospitality, travel for fans and corporate clients. It offers packages for major events such as the Fifa World Cup, Super Bowl and golf’s Masters, and its partners include NCAA, the PGA of America and Rugby World Cup Sevens.
An ESPN source said the two businesses combined will bring in revenue of $550m (£410m/€470m) this year.
“PrimeSport was the biggest shark in the water,” On Location chief executive John Collins told ESPN. “They have the inventory to the best events. As rightsholders, we know what it takes to create a better experience. Together, we are a formidable pairing.”
Following the transaction, On Location is now comprised of over 500 employees in nine offices with a premium sales and marketing staff of over 100 people.
On Location’s portfolio of sports and entertainment partners now includes over 150 rights holders, including the NFL, the NCAA, the PGA of America and the United States Tennis Association. Top tier sporting events include the Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four, the Ryder Cup, the Rose Bowl Game, Daytona 500 and the US Open.
Last year, On Location, 20 per cent of which is owned by NFL owners, paid $55m to the NFL for the rights to 5,000 Super Bowl tickets a year for the next nine title games.
Its packages for the 2018 Super Bowl at Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium cost from $6,299 to more than $14,000. The top-priced Platinum Plus option offers on-field access and all-inclusive hospitality and entertainment.
Collins added in a statement: “On Location’s stated vision is to partner with content rights holders to help them better monetize their intellectual property and expand the activation and fan experience around their big events. The PrimeSport acquisition provides scale for our premium experiential offerings and for our fast-growing organisation’s capabilities and expertise.
“On Location is extremely well positioned to expand our model on a global basis. With the support of our sponsors, RedBird Capital, Bruin Sports Capital, 32 Equity and now the Carlyle Group, we will continue growing our platform and expand our services that will benefit our content partners and customers.”
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