Ticketek

Ticketek Pty Ltd
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryTicketing
Founded1979; 45 years ago (1979) as Best Available Seating Service Pty Ltd. (Queensland)
HeadquartersSydney, New South Wales, Australia
Area served
Australia/New Zealand
ProductsSport and entertainment admission ticketing
Ownerecorp
ParentTEG Pty Ltd
SubsidiariesSoftix, Eventopia
Websitewww.ticketek.com

Ticketek is an Australian event ticketing company. Founded in 1990, the company is owned by TEG Pty Ltd with its headquarters in Sydney and operates ticketing operations for entertainment and sporting events in Australia and New Zealand. There are companies using the name Ticketek in other countries however these are not a part of the Ticketek Australia/NZ operations but are a part of Ticketek Pty Ltd/Softix Pty Ltd.[1]

Ticketek Pty Ltd sell the Softix premium[clarification needed] ticketing software created by Softix Pty Ltd (a subsidiary of Ticketek) to other countries.[2] Ticketek Pty Ltd also own the simplified ticket management company Eventopia.[3]

Ticketek was part of PBL's Consolidated Press Holdings until it was sold to PBL's internet arm ecorp, in 1999, two years after introducing online ticketing in Australia. Ticketek was ecorp's major source of profits.[4]

Ticketek was originally called Best Available Seating Service (Queensland) Pty Ltd (BASS).[5][6] It was one of at least three Australian Best Available Seating Service operations (which originated from the Bay Area Seating Service (BASS) of San Francisco, USA), the others being BASS (owned by the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust and still operating)[7] and BASS Victoria owned by the Victorian Government under the auspices of the Victorian Arts Centre Trust until it was partially, then completely, bought out by Ticketmaster.

In November 2000, Ticketek formed a Hong Kong company called Ticketek Hong Kong in a joint venture with the Hong Kong Ticketing Alliance.[8] In early 2003, ecorp sold its 50% stake in the Hong Kong operation to HKTA, with the venture being renamed Hong Kong Ticketing Limited.[9]

Ticketek sells around 18 million tickets to over 13,000 events annually.[10] The company has ticketing contracts with certain venues such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Super Dome and the Sydney Entertainment Centre. It was the provider of ticketing services for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.[11]

  1. ^ "About us". premier.ticketek.com.au. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  2. ^ "Softix". softix.com.
  3. ^ "Eventopia". eventopia.co.
  4. ^ "Ecorp says might achieve profitability in 2003". The Age. AAP. 7 February 2003. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  5. ^ "InsideView Directory". InsideView.
  6. ^ "Ticketek Pty Ltd.: Private Company Information – Businessweek". investing.businessweek.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008.
  7. ^ "Home – BASS : Your ticket to experience™". bass.net.au.
  8. ^ Aldred, Jessica: Ticketek Books Into Hong Kong, Internet News, 7 August 2000.
  9. ^ "Ecorp's Ticketek arm to rework HK". The Age. 21 January 2003. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  10. ^ "About us". premier.ticketek.com.au. 30 November 2010.
  11. ^ Packer wins Olympic ticketing contract, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 28 April 1998