A bidding war is about to break out for ticket seller See Tickets
The owners of the O2 and the Hammersmith Apollo appear to be in a battle over one of Britain's biggest ticket sellers.
French media giant Vivendi has sought potential buyers for See Tickets and its events division in a deal that could value it at more than £250 million.
Both Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), owner of London's O2 Arena, and German ticketing group CTS Eventim, co-owner of the Hammersmith Apollo, are in discussions with Vivendi.
See Tickets, active in eight European markets, sold 39 million tickets for sporting events, museums and concerts last year.
It also has an events division, organizing festivals across Europe, including Love Supreme in East Sussex.
Big draw: Shania Twain during her recent O2 performance. French media giant Vivendi has approached potential buyers for See Tickets
Paris-based Vivendi has said it has “received several very encouraging offers at this stage.”
A sale to AEG or Eventim would mean fierce competition for Ticketmaster, the main player on both sides of the Atlantic.
The See Tickets business started from a Nottingham-based record store Way Ahead Records, which sold tickets to gigs.
It was later purchased by Andrew Lloyd Webber's Very Useful Group, who changed the company's name to See Tickets.
The company was subsequently acquired by Vivendi in 2011 for £82 million.
Vivendi has been deeply involved in the music world through its major stake in Universal Music.