Ari Emanuel’s Event Company Mari has Purchased UK Live Giant ATG Entertainment

Ari Emanuel, seasoned entertainment executive and CEO of the WME Group, has purchased UK-based entertainment conglomerate ATG Entertainment via his event production company, Mari. ATG operates 70 venues throughout the UK, US, Germany, and Spain, and it just introduced its US-focused live branch, ATG Live, back in April.

Background:

• Most of ATG’s venues operate in the theatre space, but the overall business includes ticketing and production.

• The Wall Street Journal reported the deal was worth $6 billion. Specific terms were not disclosed.

• Emanuel launched Mari last October to expand his footprint in the live market.

• The company currently oversees TodayTix, arts publisher and event producer Frieze, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, and the Hampton Court Palace and Blenheim Palace Festivals.

What they said:

• Emanuel: “I’ve spent my whole career in entertainment, and I started out in theatre. I’ve seen the industry reinvent itself many times, but live has only grown more powerful. Nothing connects great talent with audiences more directly. ATG has built one of the world’s great theatre businesses around that experience. This is a long-term bet on where live goes next.”

• ATG’s Global CEO, Melanie Smith: “Mari understands live entertainment and what matters most to ATG: our theatres, the people behind them and the relationships we have built with producers, artists and audiences.”