DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG (DEAG) announced record-breaking financial results for the fiscal year 2025, with revenue rising approximately 33% to EUR 490.0 million and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) more than doubling to EUR 32.1 million. The company also achieved an all-time high in ticket sales, exceeding 12 million, providing strong visibility for the remainder of the financial year.
The EBITDA margin improved significantly from 3.9% to 6.6%, reflecting enhanced operational efficiency. Revenue in the fourth quarter alone surged 42.9% year-on-year to EUR 167.2 million. DEAG attributed the strong performance to its transformation measures implemented in 2024, which boosted competitiveness, profitability, and efficiency across all segments.
DEAG's buy-and-build strategy continued to drive growth. The company acquired a majority stake in the ROCKHARZ Festival, one of Germany's largest rock and metal festivals, and increased its holdings in Fane Productions and the UK ticketing platform gigantic.com to 100%. International expansion also paid off, with Italian subsidiary MC2 Live reporting exceptional performance in its first full year post-acquisition.
Notable events in 2025 included tours by Ed Sheeran, Iron Maiden, and Till Lindemann (the latter selling over 190,000 tickets), as well as the lit.COLOGNE literature festival and Christmas Gardens attracting 1.6 million visitors. DEAG's festival portfolio, featuring events like NATURE ONE and Belladrum Tartan Heart, also contributed to strong summer results.
Looking ahead, DEAG expects ticket sales to remain high in 2026, with approximately 3 million tickets already sold for future events, securing EUR 151.5 million in revenue. However, the company anticipates full-year revenue to be temporarily below 2025 levels due to the cyclical nature of the live entertainment industry, though it still expects revenue to exceed EUR 400 million with an improved EBITDA margin. For subsequent years, DEAG projects a return to growth.
Post-2025, DEAG continued its M&A activity, acquiring full control of Wizard Live, LiveGeist Entertainment, and Wizard Communications, as well as majority stakes in the Juicy Beats festival and conneccted: EVENTS & LIVE MARKETING GmbH. The company also strengthened its financial structure with a EUR 75 million corporate bond issuance.
Group CEO Detlef Kornett stated: "The measures we implemented in 2024 had a clearly positive impact in 2025. We are very pleased with the strong business performance, to which all parts of our Group contributed equally. DEAG is very well positioned to sustainably continue its organic and inorganic growth trajectory."
The full annual report is available on DEAG's corporate website at https://www.deag.de/investor-relations/financial-reports/.
