Broadway’s Online Ticket Sellers Have Joined Forces
Two of Broadway’s biggest players in the growing market to sell tickets online have combined forces, two people with knowledge of the deal said today.
Key Brand Entertainment, owner of ticket broker Broadway.com, acquired BroadwayBox.com, which offers discount tickets, the people said.
Key Brand also owns Broadway Across America, which produces and invests in Broadway shows and tours.
The two people spoke on condition of anonymity because the sale has not been publicly announced.
Almost half of all theatergoers surveyed last season purchased their tickets online. Broadway.com was cited as one of the most popular sources for theater news, according to the survey by the Broadway League, a trade association of producers and theater owners.
Created by Dan Geisler and his wife, Odeda Geisler, BroadwayBox posts discount codes for Broadway and off-Broadway tickets. BroadwayBox also sends out e-mail blasts paid for by producers that promote discounts to specific shows.
The Geislers didn’t return calls.
High Fees
Key Brand bought Broadway.com, an online publisher of news and interviews, in 2010. Broadway.com charges a fee of about 33 percent over the face value per ticket.
For “The Lion King,” for example, Broadway.com adds $37 in fees to the $115 full-price tickets. Ticketmaster, the show’s primary online outlet, charges $8.50 in fees.
Key Brand is closely held and doesn’t disclose profits.
Muse highlights include Patrick Cole’s philanthropy forecast.
To contact the reporter of this story: Philip Boroff in New York at pboroff@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff in New York at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
John Gore
Amy Sussman/Getty Images via Bloomberg
John Gore, Chief Executive of Key Brand Entertainment. Key Brand bought BroadwayBox, a discounter of Broadway tickets.
John Gore, Chief Executive of Key Brand Entertainment. Key Brand bought BroadwayBox, a discounter of Broadway tickets. Photographer: Amy Sussman/Getty Images via Bloomberg
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