SM Prime, Ticketmaster signs partnership; marks Ticketmaster's entry into the Philippines

From left to right: SM Prime Executive Vice President Cris Noel E. Torres, SM Prime President Jeffrey C. Lim, and Ticketmaster APAC Regional Vice President Jim Kotsonis.

SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) today announced a partnership with Ticketmaster to form SM Ticketmaster, which will provide ticketing services currently offered through SM Tickets. The launch of this new ticketing service marks Ticketmaster’s entry into the Philippines at a time when demand for live experiences in the country continues to rise, from club shows and major concerts to sports events, while also continuing the development of SM Prime’s ticketing business.

SM Ticketmaster will combine Ticketmaster’s global ticketing technology, product innovation and fraud prevention expertise with SM Prime’s strong local operating experience and knowledge of the Philippine market.

“Our goal is to make the ticket-buying experience more reliable, secure and convenient for customers,” said Jeffrey C. Lim, President of SM Prime. “Through this partnership, we are combining Ticketmaster’s global ticketing technology with our local operating expertise to support the next phase of live entertainment in the Philippines.”

SM Ticketmaster will partner with third-party venues, promoters and other ticketed experiences across concerts, sports and other live events, alongside SM Prime’s owned venues, including SM Mall of Asia Arena, SMDC Festival Grounds and the soon-to-launch SM Seaside Cebu Arena.

“Fans in the Philippines are showing strong and growing demand for live experiences, from major international tours to sports and local shows. For Ticketmaster, this is an important new market and a natural next step in our international expansion,” said Jim Kotsonis, Regional Vice President, APAC, Ticketmaster. “SM Ticketmaster will give fans a simpler way to buy tickets and organisers stronger tools to manage their events.”

Led by Mike Mangubat, SM Ticketmaster will provide end to end ticketing services for promoters, organizers and venues, including event operations, marketing and comprehensive customer service.

Over the next few weeks, SM Tickets will transition from its existing ticket reservation and sales services to SM Ticketmaster. Fans, including existing SM Tickets account holders, are encouraged to register early with SM Ticketmaster to get uninterrupted access to upcoming events.

International acts confirmed to perform at SM Prime venues this year include Laufey, ITZY, Kodaline, Charlie Puth, LANY, Jason Mraz, 5 Seconds of Summer and Exo Planet #6 – EXhOrizon in Manila.

“We have a strong pipeline of concerts, events and experiences scheduled across our venues, with more announcements to come,” added Lim.