AXS Ticketing Service Launches in France to Compete in €2.1 Billion Market
AEG launches AXS ticketing service in France to rival TicketMaster in a booming market.
Key Points
- • AXS launches in France to compete in the €2.1 billion ticket sales market.
- • Formerly successful in the U.S., AXS plans to leverage exclusivity for events.
- • AEG has been active in France since 2018 with a local subsidiary and venue stakes.
- • Lucile Genest leads the French branch, indicating strong international ambitions.
The American entertainment giant Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) has launched its ticketing service AXS in France, setting its sights on competing with established players like TicketMaster. The French ticket sales market generated an impressive €2.1 billion in 2023, highlighting the lucrative opportunity that AXS aims to capitalize on. This marks AXS's debut in the French market, adding to its presence in ten other countries, and aims to leverage its history of exclusivity, previously notable for selling tickets to major events like the Coachella music festival in the U.S.
AEG has been building its influence in France since establishing a subsidiary named AEG Presents France in 2018. The company currently holds stakes in several key Parisian venues, including the Accor Arena and the Bataclan, as well as a significant share in the popular Rock en Seine festival. Lucile Genest, who has managed the French branch since September, expressed the company's ambitious plans to replicate AXS’s success from its U.S. operations. She emphasized that "AXS is already deployed in a dozen countries," underlining a strong international footprint and the desire to become a major player in the French entertainment landscape.