DEAG Classics AG

What DEAG Classics AG does

DEAG Classics AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG, created to expand the group's literary and classical/spoken-word events vertical, including the planned 66.6% stake acquisition in lit.COLOGNE — one of Europe's largest literary festivals with up to 200 events and 100,000+ annual visitors. The parent entity, founded in Berlin in 1978 by Professor Peter Schwenkow, operates as an integrated European live entertainment network with over 500 employees across 10+ countries and 25 locations in core markets, including Germany, the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, and Italy. DEAG was listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange from 1998 to 2021 before delisting, and underwent a leadership transition in April 2024 when founder Prof. Schwenkow handed operational management to Detlef Kornett as CEO, with David Reinecke as CFO and Moritz Schwenkow as CTTO.

Name

DEAG Classics AG

Legal name

DEAG Deutsche Entertainment Aktiengesellschaft

Website

https://deag.de

Company type

Public

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DEAG Classics AG is a Berlin-based subsidiary of DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG focused on literary festivals and classical/spoken-word events. The parent group operates an integrated European live entertainment network across 10+ countries, organizing 6,000+ events and selling 10M+ tickets annually through proprietary ticketing platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment & Event Production

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL), Live Music Booking (Bands, Soloists, DJs) (HSACAHAA)

Keywords

• Live entertainment events
• Ticketing services
• Festival production
• Literary festivals
• Concert promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Live Entertainment Events: DEAG organizes and produces live entertainment events including concerts, festivals, family entertainment, and literary events. Revenue generated from ticket sales, event production, and promotional activities for both own and third-party content.
2. Ticketing Services: The company operates its own ticketing platforms (myticket.de, myticket.at, myticket.co.uk, gigantic.com, tickets.ie) selling tickets for events. A steadily growing share of tickets are sold through DEAG's own e-commerce platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DEAG Classics AG produces and promotes classics and literary live entertainment events as part of the DEAG group, organizing concerts, festivals, family entertainment, and spoken-word/literary events. Its flagship activity is a planned 66.6% stake acquisition in lit.COLOGNE, one of Europe's largest literary festivals hosting up to 200 events and 100,000+ visitors. Tickets are sold primarily through the group's own proprietary ticketing platforms (myticket.de, myticket.at, myticket.co.uk, gigantic.com, tickets.ie) and third-party channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• myticket: Ticketing platform operating in Germany, Austria, and UK
• gigantic
• tickets.ie
• Christmas Garden
• Kilimanjaro Live
• KMJ Entertainment

Products and services

• lit.COLOGNE Literary Festival One of Europe's largest literary festivals hosting up to 200 events and attracting over 100,000 visitors annually, featuring prominent figures including Karl Lagerfeld and Christoph Waltz. Targeted at individual consumers and literary enthusiasts across Europe.
• Fane Productions Literary Events UK-based production and promotion of literature events, author events, and literary festivals in Britain. Targeted at literary enthusiasts and spoken-word audiences in the UK.
• Spoken Word & Literary Events Programming Recurring classics and spoken-word programming under the DEAG Classics AG banner, including author readings, literary festivals, and spoken-word performances. Targeted at adult consumers interested in cultural and literary live events.
• Myticket Ticketing Platforms Proprietary e-commerce ticketing platforms — myticket.de, myticket.at, myticket.co.uk, gigantic.com, and tickets.ie — selling tickets for DEAG-organized events and growing share of third-party event content. Targeted at consumers purchasing tickets for live entertainment across Europe.
• KMJ Entertainment Concert Promotion UK-based concert promotion and live entertainment group operating multiple promoters including Kilimanjaro Live and Regular Music. Targeted at music consumers and live event attendees in the UK and Europe.
• Christmas Garden Winter Light Art Events Winter outdoor light art event series operated via Christmas Garden Deutschland GmbH. Awarded LEA Live Entertainment Award — En Suite Event of the Year in 2020 and 2021. Targeted at families and seasonal entertainment consumers in Germany.
• Classic Open Air Berlin Long-running classical open-air festival at Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin with over 30 years of operation, featuring classical music performances. Targeted at classical music enthusiasts and cultural event attendees in Germany.
• ROCKHARZ Festival One of Germany's largest Rock & Metal festivals, majority-owned by DEAG following the 2025 acquisition. Targeted at rock and metal music fans and festival attendees in Germany.
• Disney On Ice Productions in Germany Local promotion of Disney On Ice family entertainment shows in Germany in partnership with FELD Entertainment and Grünland Family Entertainment. Targeted at families with young children in Germany.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 6,000 events organized annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• lit.COLOGNEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 August 2021DEAG Classics AG planned to acquire a 66.6% stake in lit.COLOGNE, one of Europe's largest literary festivals. The festival hosts up to 200 events and attracts over 100,000 visitors, featuring prominent figures including Karl Lagerfeld and Christoph Waltz.
• FELD EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Disney On Ice productions in Germany. DEAG serves as local promoter for Disney On Ice shows including 'Mickys Magische Momente' coming to Düsseldorf, Berlin, and Hamburg in 2027.
• Grünland Family EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Disney On Ice 'Mickys Magische Momente' family entertainment show.
• Fane ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based producer and promoter of literature events, in which DEAG holds a stake. Fane Productions specializes in literary festivals and author events in Britain.
• ROCKHARZ FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDEAG acquired majority stake in one of Germany's largest Rock & Metal festivals. ROCKHARZ is a major festival with significant visitor base and community.
• conneccted: EVENTS & LIVE MARKETING GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMewes Entertainment Group GmbH (DEAG subsidiary) acquired 51% stake in conneccted. Christiane Blaeser remains as shareholder and continues operational leadership. conneccted specializes in corporate events and cruise events like Stars del Mar and Jeckliner.
• KMJ EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKMJ Entertainment, led by Stuart Galbraith, brings together 16 companies selling 4 million tickets annually. Includes Kilimanjaro Live, Regular Music, and other UK promoters under DEAG umbrella.
• ShowPlanrminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKMJ Entertainment acquired majority stake in ShowPlanr, a UK live promoter producing hundreds of theatre and concert events annually. Adds 250,000 tickets to KMJ inventory.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• CTS Eventim: Germany-based leading European ticketing and live entertainment operator (Eventim). Directly comparable to DEAG as both a major concert promoter and the dominant primary ticketing platform in Germany and Europe; myticket and gigantic compete head-to-head with Eventim's ticketing infrastructure.
• Reservix GmbH: Germany-based ticketing platform (formerly ADticket) processing millions of tickets annually for concerts, sports, and cultural events. Direct competitor to myticket.de in the German primary ticketing market, serving similar promoters and venues.
• Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur (MLK / DEAG competitor): One of Germany's largest concert promoters, historically responsible for major Rock/Pop tours and festivals. A direct competitor to DEAG's touring companies in the German live music promotion market.
• FKP Scorpio: Hamburg-based concert and festival promoter operating festivals (e.g., Hurricane, Southside, Deichbrand) and tours across Germany. Directly comparable to DEAG/Kilimanjaro as a German-headquartered independent promoter with a significant festival portfolio and cross-genre touring activity.
• See Tickets: European primary ticketing platform owned by Vivendi. Direct competitor to DEAG's gigantic.com and myticket.co.uk in the UK and broader European ticketing market, serving many of the same promoters and venues.

Broad incumbents

• Ticketmaster Entertainment: Global primary ticketing platform owned by Live Nation. Comparable to DEAG's myticket/gigantic/tickets.ie network as a ticketing technology layer, but with dominant US/global market share that DEAG's European-only footprint does not challenge directly.
• Live Nation Entertainment: Global live entertainment and ticketing conglomerate (Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts). Competes with DEAG for headline touring artists and primary ticketing share, but at vastly larger scale and with North American exposure DEAG lacks.
• AEG Presents: Anschutz Entertainment Group's global concert promotion and venue operations arm. Competes for European festival and touring business and shares DEAG's integrated promoter/venue model, but operates globally with larger festival brands (Coachella, Lollapalooza).
• Stage Entertainment: German-founded theatrical production company producing musicals and shows across Europe. Comparable to DEAG's family entertainment and stage event business, though focused on resident theatrical productions rather than touring concerts and festivals.

Others

• Primary Wave Music Publishing: US-based music IP and talent management company. Adjacent rather than directly competitive—shares the live entertainment value chain (artist rights, catalog IP, talent management) but operates from the IP/rights side rather than as a promoter.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/deutscheentertainmentag
• Xx.com/_deag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A5 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DEAG Classics AG