O2, Live Nation and Academy Music Group Renew Alliance for O2 Academy Venues

O2, Live Nation and Academy Music Group have today announced a new agreement for O2 Academy venues across the UK. The deal secures O2 as the naming rights partner to 19 venues in 13 cities for a further ten years.

 

The renewed alliance will see O2, Live Nation and Academy Music Group continue to provide fans with unparalleled access to tickets for the best artists and acts in live entertainment. The deal will see double the number of tickets made available for O2 customers through Priority Tickets, for shows at O2 Academy venues as well as Live Nation-promoted events nationwide*. This will give customers access to even more venues, from the smallest of rooms to stadia, 48 hours before general release.

 

The deal re-affirms the parties’ commitment to investing in iconic venues to ensure they remain a vibrant part of the local communities in which they reside. It will also renew the focus on customer experience before, during and after every show. Fans will benefit from free O2 Wifi in O2 Academy venues, while O2 customers will receive exclusive perks such as fast-track entry, free cloakroom facilities and drink offers.

 

Following successful trials, O2 will also install new technology in all O2 Academy venues to analyse the movements of the crowd in order to reveal unique data for both fans and artists. Through a combination of proprietary technology and complex analysis using algorithms, detailed information such as calories burned, noise generated by the audience, as well as the most popular moment of the night based on the crowd’s response will be available after shows. Fans will receive a free digital memento with highlights of the night, allowing them to relive their experience and share exclusive content with friends via social media. O2 will also be sharing this unique audience data with artists, allowing them to understand more about their fans’ reactions, as well as gauge which songs were the most popular for individual nights or across their tour.

 

The partnership between O2, Live Nation and Academy Music Group was established in 2008 to launch O2 Academy venues in the UK the following year. At that time, the pioneering agreement saw 11 venues renamed and O2 customers benefit from early access to tickets, paving the way for the hugely successful Priority Tickets model. Now, with 19 venues nationwide, 25 million people have visited O2 Academy venues and tickets to almost 35,000 shows across more than 400 venues have been made available via the Priority Tickets platform since 2009.

Nina Bibby, CMO at O2 said of the deal: “We know our customers love live experiences and O2 Academy venues are a huge part of the UK’s live music scene which is why we’re extremely pleased to be continuing our longstanding relationship with both Live Nation and Academy Music Group.

Just under ten years ago we pioneered the pre-sale model with Priority Tickets, giving our customers exclusive early access to tickets for the best shows around. This new, long term deal takes that even further, with double the number of tickets available for O2 customers to not just every show at 19 O2 Academy venues, but also all Live Nation shows across the UK.”

Paul Latham, COO, Live Nation UK and Ireland commented: “We are incredibly proud of our partnership with O2 which has revolutionised the way brands work within the live sector.

 

This is more than just a naming rights deal. Over the last nine years, we have worked tirelessly together to build the O2 Academy brand, investing in these iconic buildings and giving O2 customers access to millions of Priority tickets.  

 

Close to four million live music fans come through O2 Academy doors each year to see the artists they love, across the UK. Continuing this deal with O2 ensures that these venues remain a vibrant part of their local communities and an integral part of Britain’s healthy live music market.”=