Ticketing service Advantix, Inc. this week announced a
merger with Tickets.com in an effort
to go up against recently merged Ticketmaster/CitySearch.
The merged company, to be called Tickets.com, is designed to establish the
“first globally-branded company for entertainment, sports and travel
tickets,” the company said. It will provide ticketing information and
services for sports and entertainment events in the United States, Canada
and Europe via the Tickets.com Web site.
No financial specifics of the merger were disclosed.
The new site competes directly with Ticketmaster/CitySearch, which provides
local information in addition to ticketing services. W. Thomas Gimple,
Advantix president and chief executive officer, said Tickets.com will focus
on becoming an international e-commerce center.
“The new Tickets.com will unite the online entertainment marketplace,
creating a forum where consumers, venues and advertisers will exchange
information and conduct commerce,” he said.
“By marrying the best ticketing technology in the world with the leading
source for ticket information we are establishing an open ticketing
network. The new Tickets.com will become the ‘411’ of entertainment
information and tickets.”
Tickets.com is already a preferred ticket outlet for America Online, and the company said this
agreement will extend to the merged site. Gimple will remain president and
chief executive officer, and James A. Caccavo, current president and CEO of
Tickets.com, will assume the role of president, Internet operations and
will join the board of directors of the new company.
