Idolator

Billboard is reporting that two of my personal least favorite companies, Ticketmaster and Cablevision—the latter of which counts Madison Square Garden and the MTV-in-Pull-Ups network Fuse among its holdings—are on the verge of collectively acquiring a 49% stake in AEG Live, the second-largest concert promoter in the United States. (AEG's tours—which included Hannah Montana and Bon Jovi—took in $742 million last year, according to Billboard; the ever-expanding Live Nation was in the pole position.) According to sources, Fuse is in fact a key part of the deal, and the channel will be aggressively rebranded so that it can show the world that "AEG Live [is] a company now armed with a large media component and the world's largest ticketing company in Ticketmaster." But don't change that dial just yet! That MBA mumbo-jumbo just means that you'll probably be able to watch more live broadcasts of AEG Live-booked shows that just happen to be taking place at Fuse's neighbor across the street, Madison Square Garden—not to mention festivals like Coachella and All Points West, which AEG also has a hand in booking. And wait, there's more! More »