O2 in £22m live music deal

O2 has beaten Vodafone and Orange in the mobile space, among othe bidders, to strike a five-year deal, worth around £4.5 million per year, with music promoters Live Nation and gig venue landlord AMG to sponsor 11 music venues around the country.

The deal will see 11 Carling Academy venues in the UK re-branded as O2 Academy venues from January 1. O2 customers will get priorty booking for gig tickets, 48 hours in advance of their official release.

O2 is looking to increase its association with live music, and the Academies boost its activity around 'grass roots' new acts – in contrast to its successful sponsorship of The O2 Arena, in Greenwich, which plays blockbusting shows with to much larger crowds, and its O2 Wireless Festival in London, which hosts established live acts.

It will also embark upon a major ticketing operation around the new sites involving contact-less near-field communication (NFC) technology.

O2 UK chief executive Ronan Dunne said: "Our customers tell us they value priority access to tickets at The O2, so we want to bring this benefit to more customers. The O2 Academy venues are highly important to the UK music scene, and we admire their role and heritage. We are not only looking to benefit O2 customers, but to also enhance the live experience for all artists and fans."

Academy venues include Brixton, Islington and Shepherd's Bush in London, and Birmingham, Birstol, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Oxford, Sheffield and Leeds. New venues will open next year.