CTS EVENTIM, Europe's leading provider of ticketing services and live entertainment, reported significant profitable growth in the third quarter of 2025 despite challenging economic conditions in Germany. The company's performance highlights its ability to generate value through strategic modernization and integration efforts while maintaining growth momentum in both core business segments.
The Group's consolidated revenue increased by 3.5% year on year to EUR 854.2 million in the third quarter, while adjusted EBITDA surged by 13.8% to EUR 137.3 million. The adjusted EBITDA margin improved to 16.1% compared to 14.6% in the prior-year period, demonstrating enhanced operational efficiency. For the first nine months of 2025, revenue advanced by 6.0% to EUR 2.148 billion, with adjusted EBITDA growing 4.7% to EUR 337.9 million.
Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO of CTS EVENTIM, attributed the strong performance to ongoing strategic initiatives. "Our performance in the third quarter illustrates once again that we are not only growing but also creating long-term value. In doing so, we are benefitting from continually modernising our technological infrastructure, significantly optimising our processes and making progress with the integration of our acquisitions," Schulenberg stated.
The Ticketing segment maintained its growth trajectory despite facing tough comparisons with the third quarter of 2024, which had been boosted by non-recurring revenue from events like the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Revenue in the Ticketing segment increased by 2.1% to EUR 211.0 million in the third quarter, while adjusted EBITDA climbed by 8.1% to EUR 91.0 million. The segment's adjusted EBITDA margin reached an impressive 43.1%, up from 40.7% in the prior-year period, indicating continued operational excellence.
The Live Entertainment segment showed remarkable improvement in profitability during the third quarter. Revenue increased by 5.5% to EUR 663.0 million, while adjusted EBITDA surged by 27.0% to EUR 46.3 million. This strong performance nearly offset the decrease in adjusted EBITDA experienced in the first half of the year, with the adjusted EBITDA margin increasing to 7.0% from 5.8% in the previous year. For the first nine months of 2025, the segment's revenue grew by 4.2% to EUR 1.557 billion, with adjusted EBITDA reaching EUR 80.0 million, nearly matching the prior-year period level.
The company's financial resilience is particularly noteworthy given the challenging economic environment in Germany and the absence of non-recurring positive effects that had boosted the prior-year results. The improved profitability reflects growing synergies from recent acquisitions and concerted cost management efforts throughout the Group. The financial result in the third quarter was positive and improved year on year, though expenses in the first nine months continued to be affected by developments in the initial two quarters.
Based on the robust growth achieved by both segments in the third quarter, the Executive Board is maintaining the forecast published in the Annual Report 2024 for the full year 2025. This confidence in the company's outlook underscores the strength of CTS EVENTIM's business model and its position as a global leader in ticketing services and live entertainment. The company's performance demonstrates the ongoing recovery and strength of the live entertainment industry following pandemic-related disruptions, with technological modernization and strategic acquisitions driving sustainable growth.
