EXCLUSIVE: In a move designed to “extend the intersection” of Hollywood, Broadway, London’s West End and regional theater, the movie-ticket site Hollywood.com and theater producer Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment announced today the formation of an online joint ticket-selling venture that will include content and ticket sales for live entertainment.
In its first move, the new venture, called Hollywood.com Live, has acquired the theater-focused media company Theatrely.
Under the Hollywood.com Live banner, the venture has begun selling tickets online to Broadway, London’s West End and regional theaters.
The combined venture, according to the announcement, will leverage Hollywood.com’s “25-plus years of deep entertainment content and user traffic into ticket sales” for live theater, cross-selling tickets to theatrical productions by expanding the Theatrely brand and driving traffic to it.
“This new venture and the Theatrely acquisition is a huge positive for theatre productions and consumers,” said Mitchell Rubenstein, who heads Hollywood.com Live with Laurie Silvers and Robert Nederlander, Jr.
Silvers and Rubenstein are the founders of Syfy Channel, Broadway.com and MovieTickets.com, and the co-founders of Misfits Gaming Group.
Nederlander is the CEO of Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, which develops, manages and operates theaters worldwide, produces Broadway and related shows in the US and international markets, and undertakes cultural and educational initiatives.
Said Nederlander, “We have the opportunity to substantially expand the audience for legitimate theatrical productions. This is a win-win.”
Theatrely was co-founded by Kobi Kassal and Jordanna Brody as a college radio show and over the pandemic era has gained a dedicated online community as a Gen-Z media outlet covering Broadway, London’s West End and regional productions. The platform has focused on engaging younger theater fans and audiences through social media.
“The team at Hollywood.com Live is some of the best in the business,” said Kassal and Brody in a statement. “We are enthusiastic about this opportunity to expand our reach to wider audiences.”
Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The venture is the latest for Hollywood.com: In January, the company acquired Dance Media, publisher of Dance Magazine as well as digital publications Dance Spirit, Pointe, Dance Teacher, and The Dance Edit.
