LIVE NATION PREDICTS
A BIG COMEBACK...
IN 2022

Michael Rapino's Live Nation envisions a return to double-digit growth in 2022, based on calculations presented Thursday at Liberty Media’s investors conference, with retooled infrastructure at Live Nation and Ticketmaster resulting in greater revenue and adjusted operating income.

The presentation largely left 2021 a gray area, focusing instead on the opportunities that lie 14-to-26 months ahead.

Live Nation predicts that during the six-month “summer season” of 2022, about 45 acts will sell more than 500,000 tickets each. That’s nearly double the number of acts that did that level of business between 2017 and 2019 and trumps the number projected to do that kind of business next year (about 15-20).

They’ll have the room to accommodate them: Based on 2019 stats, in the six months of summer, NBA and NHL arenas were open 66% of the time, 83% of amphitheaters’ dates were unused and NFL stadiums sat empty 93% of the time.

In terms of growth, Live Nation envisions opportunities in digital ticketing, onsite and D2C e-commerce and streaming. Geographically, the company intends to add 25m fans to the 100m already served by expanding in Asia and Latin America while “deepening” the company’s presence in Europe. That growth is expected to drive $275m in adjusted operating income.

Live Nation predicts its livestreaming efforts will bring in 250m views, suggesting that many of the company’s 23,000 Live Nation venue concerts and festivals will be open for streaming.

On the ticketing side, Ticketmaster’s digital ticketing and ecosystem will expand marketing possibilities and onsite sales at venues, which provide a $225m AOI opportunity. New ad units offered during ticket transactions are projected at $125m AOI, and the streamlining of Ticketmaster’s internal operations is predicted to result in an additional $75m AOI.

The company also envisions lower operating costs via work-from-home scenarios and data tools that increase effectiveness and reduce manual work.