CTS EVENTIM, Europe's leading ticketing and live entertainment company and the world's second-largest, reported consolidated revenue of EUR 2.322 billion for the first nine months of 2026, an increase of 8.1% compared with the prior-year period. Adjusted EBITDA rose by 6.3% to EUR 359.1 million, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 15.5%, according to the company's FIGURES Q3-9M 2026.
The Ticketing segment drove much of the growth, with revenue rising 13.1% to EUR 708.7 million and adjusted EBITDA advancing 3.0% to EUR 265.5 million. The segment's adjusted EBITDA margin stood at 37.5%. Growth was supported by a change in the price mix and an increase in retail sales from 121.3 million tickets to 123.2 million tickets. Earnings performance continued to be affected by expenses related to the Operational Excellence programme. In the third quarter alone, Ticketing revenue grew 11.5% to EUR 235.4 million, while adjusted EBITDA rose 2.2% to EUR 93.0 million.
The Live Entertainment segment posted revenue of EUR 1.646 billion for the nine-month period, up 5.7%, while adjusted EBITDA climbed 17.0% to EUR 93.7 million, lifting the adjusted EBITDA margin to 5.7%. The company attributed the revenue growth primarily to well-attended, high-revenue events and festivals and to the inclusion of additional entities in the scope of consolidation. In the third quarter, however, Live Entertainment revenue declined 11.7% to EUR 585.6 million, and adjusted EBITDA fell 12.0% to EUR 40.8 million. CTS EVENTIM said the segment's third-quarter performance primarily reflected the timing of major tours and events, and noted that the third quarter of 2025 had been boosted by a particularly high-revenue international tour.
At the group level, third-quarter consolidated revenue amounted to EUR 809.1 million, 5.3% lower than the prior-year period, while adjusted EBITDA came to EUR 133.8 million, a decline of 2.6%. The group's third-quarter adjusted EBITDA margin was 16.5%.
CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg said the results confirm the company's strategic direction. "CTS EVENTIM is remaining firmly on its path of profitable growth," he stated. "We are dynamically expanding our business internationally and, at the same time, strengthening our earnings power."
The Executive Board is upholding its published forecast for the full year 2026 and expressed optimism about business in the remaining months of the year. For stakeholders, the results underscore the resilience of live entertainment demand and the company's ability to expand margins in its Live Entertainment segment despite quarterly fluctuations tied to tour scheduling. CTS EVENTIM, which markets more than 300 million tickets annually and generated revenue of EUR 3.1 billion across more than 25 countries in 2025, remains listed on the MDAX segment. The full release is available via www.newmediawire.com.
