TodayTix Group has continued its M&A spree through the acquisition of Goldstar, the North American live events discovery and ticketing platform.
Financial details have not been released, but TodayTix said in a statement that the deal more than doubles its North American audience to over 20 million, expands its reach beyond theatre to include sports, concerts, live events, and other cultural experiences, and establishes its presence in an additional more than 60 cities.
TTG said the combined entity will sell more than eight million tickets annually and has featured over 250,000 distinct productions across its channels. It added that California-based Goldstar’s matchmaking algorithm, which uses factors such as historical browsing and purchase behaviour to surface relevant shows to specific audiences, will create a more personalised experience for TTG’s audiences.
TodayTix has also invested in Stellar, the full-service livestream partner for professional live entertainment organisers that was launched by Goldstar in October 2020. Several members of the Goldstar team, including co-founder Jim McCarthy, will be moving from Goldstar to further grow Stellar.
“TodayTix Group is on a mission to find a seat for everyone, and our acquisition of Goldstar will go a long way in achieving that,” said Brian Fenty, TodayTix co-founder and chief executive.
“While the theatre, cultural, and live events space has suffered tremendously during the pandemic, we are incredibly optimistic about its future. Not only are audiences actively returning to theatres and shows, they are looking for more curation, better technology, and smarter personalisation. TodayTix Group’s portfolio of companies offers just that.
“Adding Goldstar to our growing roster of brands and investing in Stellar is going to help our community recover and thrive, and bring the culturally curious back to performances.”
TodayTix has made a series of acquisitions through the course of the pandemic, having also completed deals for three other innovative theatre and cultural events companies, Show-Score, Encore and Broadway Roulette.
The group said: “TTG believes that not only will theatre and cultural events continue to bounce back, but that audiences are going to demand more from their discovery and ticket purchasing experiences.
“TTG’s acquisitions are further fuelling a simple, accessible, and tech-enabled way for consumers to find favourites and discover new shows and experiences in their city or while traveling. And the industry is getting access to new and engaged audiences like never before. TTG’s acquisitions are designed to help live events emerge from this dark period stronger and more consumer-friendly.”
Goldstar was founded in 2002 to assist consumers in discovering live entertainment events and venue partners to sell out shows. Over the last 20 years it has built up a membership of 10 million and has 6,000 partners from theatre, comedy, concerts and food tours.
“We started Goldstar because we knew people wanted to go out more and we knew venues and promoters wanted those people at their shows,” said McCarthy, co-founder of Goldstar. “It’s simple, but not easy, to make a marketplace that brings both sides together.
“Over the years, few have managed it, but TodayTix Group does it extraordinarily well in a way that works for ticket buyers and show producers alike. That’s why we’re proud to become part of the TodayTix Group family. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
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