The ATG–TodayTix Takeover Bid Would Be a Disaster for Theatre
FUN fact: every time I meet an employee of ATG I tell them to join a union.
Reports have emerged that West End operator Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) is preparing a £500 million bid to acquire TodayTix Group (TTG).
Righto. On the surface, it might sound like just another big business deal. More late-stage capitalism. Sigh.
Still, the one thing we can say with certainty is that this merger could dramatically reduce competition, drive up rising West End prices, and leave independent producers fighting for survival.
ATG— who rolled out greedy speedy-boarding style ‘queue-jumping’ fees earlier this year— already dominates. It owns 72 venues across the UK, the US, and Europe, including some of the West End’s most commercially profitable operators.
Anyway. Its annual revenue sits at around £880 million. TodayTix, meanwhile, has quickly grown into a major player in mobile ticketing, generating more than £40 million in UK revenue last year and acquiring brands such as Secret Cinema.
They offer Rush tickets from £25, last-minute deals, as well as daily and weekly lotteries to see London shows.
If ATG takes over TodayTix, the UK’s largest theatre owner would also control the country’s most prominent independent ticketing platform. That’s unprecedented market power. ATG would command the biggest audience database, the most sophisticated marketing reach, and an overwhelming share of ticket inventory.
For smaller ticket agencies, already under strain, competing would be nearly impossible. For producers, the ability to negotiate fair terms or explore alternative sales channels would evaporate.
The problem is not hypothetical. ATG already sells all tickets for its own venues through its in-house system — and its track record on flexibility is questionable. In Manchester and Glasgow last year, agents were blocked from selling certain shows. Even when venues do allow agent sales, allocations are capped at 10–30% per performance.
The reason that this matters is that this forces the majority of transactions through ATG’s own system, where producers must swallow high commissions — in ATG’s case, around 9.6% of gross — plus credit card fees, venue rental, staff costs, and more.
The result? Producers hand over nearly 10% of their revenue to the venue before bar takings, programme sales, and merchandise are even considered — all of which the venue also keeps a cut of. The system is already unbalanced. Removing one of the few remaining independent ticketing options would tip it into outright monopoly.
Put candidly … this proposed merger needs urgent investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The risks are clear. ATG’s acquisition of TodayTix would tighten its grip on UK theatre, removing the largest independent ticketing rival and further concentrating market power. Producers would lose bargaining leverage, audiences would face higher fees, aggressive dynamic pricing, and reduced access, while ATG’s control of both venue sales and TodayTix’s platform would give it unmatched dominance over audience data.
With precedents abroad showing harm to competition, this move could tip an already fragile, highly concentrated market decisively in ATG’s favour.
Years ago, the Quietus ran an excellent essay arguing that the increasing impossibility of making a living from art would ensure a future wherein being any sort of artist would be the preserve of the independently wealthy.
That future feels closer than ever, which explains why, to anyone who feels that a healthy culture is the sign of a healthy society, the thought of ATG owning TodayTix should inspire genuine grief for theatre fans. Instead, it feels of a piece with wider decay.
The truth is, firms with significant market power don’t need to innovate or invest to boost productivity. Instead, they can rely on charging customers as much as possible and paying workers as little as possible.
If this deal goes ahead without scrutiny, the consequences could reshape our industry for the worse. It’s time for government and regulators to step in — before its curtains for competition. A monopoly on tickets is a monopoly on audiences.
In any case, I shudder at the thought of ATG’s corporate takeover of TodayTix. I believe that the operator will destroy it – like they wreck everything else.
Society of London Theatre [SOLT], the unions and the government must not let it happen.
