Live Nation to Acquire BigChampagne Media Measurement

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) announced today it has acquired BigChampagne Media Measurement.  BigChampagne is a leading developer of technologies for collecting, analyzing and distributing media metrics. BigChampagne's Ultimate Chart platform will power social discovery, content relevancy and product personalization across Live Nation's businesses.

BigChampagne's own products and services will be expanded to incorporate unprecedented access to live event data, ticketing and merchandising, direct-to-fan and other exclusive data sets. As a part of Live Nation's Live Analytics group, BigChampagne will introduce comprehensive business intelligence solutions for entertainment businesses, brands and lifestyle marketers.

Live Nation Entertainment will retain the BigChampagne team and operations.  Founder Eric Garland has been appointed General Manager of LiveNation.com, and co-founder Joe Fleischer has been named SVP of Content & Product Strategy for LiveNation.com.  Live Nation will continue to invest in the development of BigChampagne's core analytics engine and products including Ultimate Chart, Ultimate Awards and Ultimate Chart Pro.

Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, said: "This acquisition strengthens our commitment to be the leader in Artist to Fan data. BigChampagne's expertise will accelerate our mission to drive deeper fan engagement throughout Live Nation driven by world class data technology."

Eric Garland, founder of BigChampagne, said: "BigChampagne now collects and analyzes more information about entertainment and online audiences than anyone in our sector's history. From my first conversation with Live Nation, it was clear to me that this is the right place to dramatically evolve and extend what we've built. We're connecting fans with things they'll love that are happening nearby or soon, or both. Most importantly, Live Nation has assembled an extraordinary team and we are honored to be invited to join them."

About BigChampagne:

BigChampagne is a leading developer of technologies for collecting, analyzing and distributing media metrics. The company acquires and analyzes billions of online and offline data points about popular entertainment. Described by WIRED magazine as the new "Nielsen ratings" of online music, BigChampagne examines information about airplay, sales, streams, downloads, other revenues, listens, views, mindshare, fan interactions and social connections and provides comprehensive insights into the 360 degree relationship between artists and their fans. BigChampagne's core products, Ultimate Chart and UC Pro, are widely recognized as providing the most comprehensive real-time analytics products in the music vertical. Fast Company named BigChampagne to their 2011 list of World's Most Innovative Companies. Founder Eric Garland was profiled in the Forbes "40 Under 40" issue.

About Live Nation Entertainment:

Live Nation Entertainment is the world's leading live entertainment and eCommerce company, comprised of four market leaders: Ticketmaster.com, Live Nation Concerts, Front Line Management Group and Live Nation Network.  Ticketmaster.com is the global event ticketing leader and one of the world's top five eCommerce sites, with over 26 million monthly unique visitors.  Live Nation Concerts produces over 20,000 shows annually for more than 2,000 artists globally.  Front Line is the world's top artist management company, representing over 250 artists.  These businesses power Live Nation Network, the leading provider of entertainment marketing solutions, enabling over 800 advertisers to tap into the 200 million consumers Live Nation delivers annually through its live event and digital platforms. For additional information, visit www.livenation.com/investors.  

SOURCE Live Nation Entertainment