Green light for Live Nation’s Portuguese expansion

Portugal’s competition authority has greenlit Live Nation’s acquisition of Lisbon’s MEO Arena, along with promoter Ritmos e Blues (Rhythm & Blues).

It was revealed in April last year that Live Nation was purchasing a majority stake in the venue’s owner Arena Atlântico and subsidiaries including ticketing company Blueticket, in addition to an “indirect controlling stake” in Ritmos e Blues.

The deal was held up by an in-depth investigation by regulator Autoridade da Concorrência (AdC), but has now been cleared, more than 18 months on, after LN proposed “adequate, sufficient, proportionate and feasible” commitments to address potential competition law concerns.

The 20,000-cap MEO Arena opened in 1998 for the Expo 98 World Trade Fair and has hosted superstar acts such as…

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