CTS Eventim revenue rises 8.1% to 2.322 billion euros in nine months
Key Facts
CTS Eventim increased consolidated revenue 8.1% year on year to 2.322 billion euros in the first nine months of 2026, while adjusted EBITDA rose 6.3% to 359.1 million euros, with a margin of 15.5%, the company said. But the period’s results mask a slowdown in the third quarter, when group revenue fell 5.3% to 809.1 million euros and adjusted EBITDA declined 2.6% to 133.8 million euros compared with the same period in 2025. The contrast between nine-month growth and contraction in the period’s final quarter reflected divergent performance in ticketing and live entertainment. Chief Executive Klaus-Peter Schulenberg said the nine-month results "confirm our strategic direction." Management maintained its 2026 outlook, saying it was optimistic about business in the remaining months of the year.
Ticketing was the clearest bright spot in the results. Revenue rose 13.1% to 708.7 million euros in the nine months, while adjusted EBITDA increased 3.0% to 265.5 million euros, the company said. CTS Eventim attributed revenue growth to a change in the pricing mix and higher retail sales, from 121.3 million tickets in the comparable period to 123.2 million tickets. It said the segment’s earnings continue to be affected by costs for its operational excellence program. Momentum continued in the third quarter, with ticketing revenue up 11.5% to 235.4 million euros and adjusted EBITDA up 2.2% to 93.0 million euros compared with the third quarter of 2025. The segment thus continued to expand in the quarter despite the decline in group revenue.
Live entertainment grew over the nine-month period but was the source of the third-quarter contraction. Revenue rose 5.7% to 1.646 billion euros, while adjusted EBITDA increased 17.0% to 93.7 million euros over the period, according to a CTS Eventim statement. The company linked revenue growth mainly to strong attendance at high-revenue events and festivals, as well as the inclusion of other entities in its consolidation scope. In the third quarter, segment revenue fell 11.7% to 585.6 million euros, while adjusted EBITDA declined 12.0% to 40.8 million euros year on year. The company attributed the decrease to the timing of tours and events and to comparison with a quarter in 2025 that benefited from a high-revenue international tour. Reuters reported that a lower number of major tours compared with the previous year weighed on live entertainment, noting that Ed Sheeran and AC/DC tours had supported the comparison that year.
Comparison with earlier periods shows the slowdown in 2026. In the first half, group revenue had risen 16.9% to 1.5 billion euros and adjusted EBITDA increased 12.4% to 225.4 million euros; revenue growth then eased to 8.1% for the first nine months. For comparison, the group recorded revenue of 2.148 billion euros and adjusted EBITDA of 337.9 million euros in the first nine months of 2025, the baselines for the current period. The company reported that full-year 2025 consolidated revenue rose 9.6% to 3.079 billion euros, while adjusted EBITDA increased 7.7% to 584 million euros. These figures put 2026 growth through September in the context of prior annual results that showed expansion in revenue and adjusted earnings.
The next test is whether business in the remaining months of 2026 can continue to support results after the third-quarter decline, particularly in live entertainment. The management board maintained its published outlook for the year and said it was optimistic about business in the period ahead. The annual outlook published in March assumed stable macroeconomic conditions and forecast increases in total revenue and adjusted EBITDA during 2026. The company did not announce any change to that outlook in these results. The performance ahead remains tied to the timing of tours and events, a factor the company said contributed to the difference between live entertainment’s third-quarter results and its nine-month total.