MARI TO ACQUIRE ATG ENTERTAINMENT, A GLOBAL LEADER IN LIVE THEATRE
AGREEMENT MARKS A NEW CHAPTER FOR ATG AND A DEFINING EXPANSION OF MARI’S LIVE-EVENTS PORTFOLIO
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. / LONDON, August 11, 2026 – MARI, the global events and experiences company founded by Ariel Emanuel, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ATG Entertainment, a leading international theater company spanning venue operations, production and ticketing, from Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. ("Providence"). The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Until completion, MARI and ATG will continue to operate as separate companies.
ATG operates a portfolio of 70 venues across the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and Spain, including seven on Broadway and ten in London’s West End, as well as an extensive network of regional theaters. Its venues host roughly 17,000 performances and welcome nearly 19 million theatergoers each year, and it produces and co-produces work for the West End and Broadway. ATG is a trusted home for leading producers and creative partners, and for landmark productions from “The Lion King” and “Wicked” to “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”
MARI owns and operates a global portfolio of events and experiences across sport, art, entertainment and lifestyle, including Frieze, Barrett-Jackson, the Miami Open, the Mutua Madrid Open, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and the Hampton Court Palace and Blenheim Palace Festivals.
The acquisition reflects MARI’s conviction in the growing power of live experience and the passionate audiences it brings together, adding theater as a defining part of its portfolio.
Following completion, MARI intends to act as a long-term custodian of ATG’s theaters, investing in their preservation and modernization alongside an improved audience experience and support for new productions, to the benefit of theatergoers and producers alike. That commitment will extend across the entire portfolio, from the regional theaters to the West End and Broadway. Across ATG's regional network, MARI's ambition is to build on the role these venues play in their communities, creating new opportunities for local artists and broadening access to live theater. ATG will continue under its existing brand and leadership and retain its commitment to creative independence.
Ariel Emanuel, Founder and Principal Investor of MARI, said: “I’ve spent my whole career in entertainment, and I started out in theater. I’ve seen the industry reinvent itself many times, but live has only grown more powerful. Nothing connects great talent with audiences more directly. ATG has built one of the world’s great theater businesses around that experience. This is a long-term bet on where live goes next.”
Mark Shapiro, Principal Investor and Board Member of MARI, said: “ATG has exceptional venues, a best-in-class leadership team and a proven record of bringing ambitious work to the stage. Investing in the preservation and modernization of the ATG theaters, and in the audience experience, is job one. MARI’s creative energy will be a strong complement.”
Melanie Smith, Global Chief Executive Officer, ATG Entertainment, said: “MARI understands live entertainment and what matters most to ATG: our theaters, the people behind them and the relationships we have built with producers, artists and audiences. That makes MARI the right home for our next chapter. We look forward to this new era and thank Providence for their unwavering support over the past thirteen years.”
Sonia Friedman, Founder and Director, Sonia Friedman Productions, a producing partner of ATG Entertainment, said: “As a producer, I have always believed in the power of live theatre to bring people together, challenge perspectives and create unforgettable shared experiences. Our industry has always needed partners prepared to think long term, invest with confidence and support creativity with real ambition. What I find compelling about MARI is its breadth of experience across live events and its respect for creative independence. That combination gives us the chance to champion bold new work, reach broader and more diverse audiences and strengthen the future of live theatre for generations to come.”
Andrew Tisdale, Vice Chairman at Providence, added:
We’ve been proud to partner with ATG over the past thirteen years as it has grown into one of the world’s leading live entertainment companies. Together, we’ve supported its international expansion, invested in iconic venues and strengthened the business through strategic acquisitions. Central to that success has been ATG’s fantastic team, which has consistently expanded during our ownership and has been instrumental in driving the company’s growth. We believe ATG is exceptionally well positioned for its next chapter and that MARI is the right partner to build on that success. We wish the entire ATG team all the best.”
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
About ATG Entertainment
ATG Entertainment is a world leader in live entertainment. Our portfolio of venues includes historic theatres, modern live music arenas, studio theatres, cinemas and conference spaces. ATG Entertainment own, operate or programme 70 of the world’s most iconic venues across the UK, the US and Continental Europe, each year entertaining nearly 19 million audience members. Through our in-house Production companies and working closely with third-party top producers and promoters ATG presents roughly 17,000 live performances every year. Tickets to those events are sold by the ATG-operated ticketing platform, ATGtickets.com.
About MARI
MARI is a global events and experiences company with a portfolio of world-class live properties spanning sports, art, lifestyle, and entertainment. These include major international tennis tournaments, among them the Mutua Madrid Open and Miami Open presented by Itaú, Frieze, a leading voice in contemporary art, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, TodayTix Group, and Barrett-Jackson, the foremost U.S. collector car auction company. MARI delivers live experiences that bring people together, inspire audiences, and shape culture worldwide.
About Providence Equity Partners L.L.C.
Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. is a leading middle-market private equity firm with deep sector expertise in media, communications and education focused on North America and Europe. Providence looks to invest in businesses that are benefiting from the long-term growth trends around experiences, learning, and connectivity by partnering with exceptional management teams to build enduring, scaled companies. Founded in 1989 in Providence, Rhode Island, the firm has invested over $40 billion across more than 180 portfolio companies with a transatlantic investment team based primarily in London, New York and Boston. Through disciplined portfolio construction, prudent risk management and a collaborative culture, the firm seeks to deliver strong results across market cycles. To learn more, please visit www.provequity.com.
The Raine Group and Moelis & Company acted as financial advisors, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP acted as legal advisor, and EY acted as tax advisor to MARI. LionTree served as lead financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to ATG and Providence. Goldman Sachs, Jefferies and Barron International Group also served as financial advisors to ATG and Providence.
Contacts
For MARI:
Belinda Bowring
[email protected]
Stuart Hudson (Brunswick)
Friederike Berfelde (Brunswick)
[email protected]
For ATG:
Martin Robinson (Teneo)
Will Palfreyman (Teneo)
[email protected]
For Providence:
Sean Palmer (Profile Advisers)
[email protected]
