Ticketing: acquisition of the StubHub (eBay) resale service by its competitor Viagogo ($4.05bn)

eBay has signed an agreement for the acquisitiopon of StubHub, its ticket resale service, to Viagogo, a competing platform, for $4.05bn (€3.68bn), announced the e-commerce group on 25/11/2019. The sale "is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2020", subject to approval by the relevant regulatory authorities. "Together, these two complementary marketplaces will sell hundreds of thousands of tickets a day in more than 70 countries," said eBay.

"It has long been my wish to unite the two companies. I am so proud of how StubHub has grown over the years and excited about the possibilities for our shared future,” Baker said. “Buyers will have a wider choice of tickets, and sellers will have a wider network of buyers. Bringing these two companies together creates a win-win for fans - more choice and better pricing," said Eric Baker, co-founder of StubHub in 2000. He had left the company before it was sold to eBay in 2007 (for $310m, or €239m at the time) and launched Viagogo in 2006.

"Bringing StubHub and viagogo together will allow us to drive further expansion and…