DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG (DEAG) reported record financial results for the fiscal year 2025, with revenue rising approximately 33% to EUR 490.0 million and EBITDA more than doubling to EUR 32.1 million. The company also achieved an all-time high in ticket sales, exceeding 12 million tickets sold, a significant increase from 11 million in the prior year. The EBITDA margin improved from 3.9% to 6.6%, reflecting enhanced profitability across all business segments.
DEAG's strong performance was driven by a successful buy-and-build strategy, including the acquisition of a majority stake in the ROCKHARZ Festival and full ownership of Fane Productions and the UK ticketing platform gigantic.com. The company also reduced minority interests in its holdings, further consolidating its market position. International expansion contributed significantly, with Italian subsidiary MC2 Live reporting exceptional results in its first full year post-acquisition.
Ticket sales for the current fiscal year 2026 already show strong visibility, with approximately 3 million tickets sold for events scheduled in 2026, translating to EUR 151.5 million in secured revenue. DEAG expects ticket sales to remain at a consistently high level throughout the year, despite the cyclical nature of the live entertainment industry. The company forecasts revenue to exceed EUR 400 million in 2026, with a further improvement in the EBITDA margin.
DEAG's event portfolio in 2025 featured major tours and concerts by artists such as Ed Sheeran, Iron Maiden, and Till Lindemann, whose European tour sold over 190,000 tickets. The Spoken Word & Literary Events segment, including the "An Evening with…" series and lit.COLOGNE festival, continued to perform well. Christmas Gardens attracted around 1.6 million visitors, and events like "Disney on Ice" and the Gianni Versace Retrospective added to the year's success.
Looking ahead to 2026, DEAG has a high density of events planned, including tours by Judas Priest, Die Toten Hosen, and Gorillaz, as well as unique offerings like "Monster Jam" at Schalke arena and "The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring in Concert" with the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The company has continued its M&A activity into 2026, acquiring full ownership of Wizard Live, LiveGeist Entertainment, and Wizard Communications, along with a majority stake in the Juicy Beats festival. Additionally, DEAG acquired a majority stake in conneccted: EVENTS & LIVE MARKETING GmbH via its subsidiary Mewes Entertainment Group.
DEAG's robust financial structure, bolstered by a EUR 75 million corporate bond issued in 2025, supports its growth trajectory. Group CEO Detlef Kornett stated, "The measures we implemented in the transformation year 2024 to enhance our competitiveness, profitability and efficiency had a clearly positive impact in financial year 2025. DEAG is therefore very well positioned to sustainably continue its organic and inorganic growth strategy going forward." The full Annual Financial Report 2025 is available on DEAG's corporate website.
