Prague’s O2 Arena. Photo Credit: VitVit
Live Nation’s aggressive international expansion has delivered yet another high-profile play – this time in Prague, where the promoter’s scored a JV deal covering venues including the O2 Arena.
The Ticketmaster parent shed light on its Czech Republic buildout today, just days after scooping up ticketing platform RED UTS in Uruguay. As described by Live Nation, the newer deal revolves around “an agreement to acquire a majority stake” in the above-noted arena (capacity 20,000), the adjacent O2 Universum (5,000), and the nearby Forum Karlín (which has a standing capacity of almost 4,000).
PPF Group, the existing owner of the first two venues and the operator of the Forum Karlín, offered a bit more detail in a release of its own. According to that document, PPF, via its Bestsport subsidiary, “will continue to own O2 arena, O2 universum and all related real estate assets.”
However, Live Nation will take a 51% stake in a JV tasked with handling the venues’ day-to-day operations as well as booking. And as pointed out by PPF, the tie-up “is expected to materially increase both the number and profile of events hosted in the Czech capital.”
(Though PPF – and now Live Nation – operates the Forum Karlín, an entity called Patria acquired the “multifunctional space” in October 2025 and is still aboard as the owner. Besides the event hall, said space is equipped with sizable offices and a retail component, the appropriate websites show.)
Regarding what the partnership will look like in practice, Live Nation indicated that the Prague “venues will remain open to all artists, promoters and event organisers.” Meanwhile, their “existing management teams will remain in place,” per the investing company.
“Prague has been one of our most important markets for many years,” added Paul Antonio, Live Nation’s EMEA and Asia president. “We’ve invested here by building a strong local team, developing long-term partnerships and bringing major artists and tours to Czech fans. This partnership is the natural next step.
“Our ambition is simple: build on what’s already working, keep improving the venues and bring even more great artists to Prague, while making the experience better for fans,” the longtime Live Nation higher-up concluded.
By now, pretty much everyone is aware of Live Nation’s stateside regulatory woes; hurdles are also taking shape in the UK and elsewhere. Nor is the business’s related global expansion a secret.
Nevertheless, the lengthy list of countries in which Live Nation is expanding jumps out: The past year alone has brought high-profile plays in Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Romania, Slovakia, Italy, France, Denmark, Thailand, New Zealand, and others yet.