The American professional sports and commercial real estate company – the Oak View Group (OVG) – and the ACC Liverpool – operator of the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England (UK) -announced a strategic partnership recently.
‘POLLSTAR’ stated that the partnership sees the OVG working with the ACC Liverpool to help program the 11,000-capacity M&S Bank Arena and drive new commercial partnerships for the venue. The OVG is the parent company to Pollstar.
The Oak View Group, LLC (OVG) is an American professional sports and commercial real estate company based in Denver (US). It manages several sports venues including the 18,300-capacity Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington, which was constructed under the company’s supervision. The OVG was formed in 2015 by Tim Leiweke and his business partner Irving Azoff.
The 1500-capacity Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool, also known simply as the ACC Liverpool, is a multipurpose event complex on the former Kings Dock, Liverpool, England (UK). Opened in May 2008, it is part of Liverpool’s event campus consisting of an interconnected arena, convention and exhibition center positioned on the banks of Liverpool’s heritage waterfront.
Pollstar (US) is a trade publication for the concert and live music industry. The publication was purchased by the Oak View Group (OVG), a venue consultancy founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in July 2017.
The 11,000-capacity Liverpool Arena (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the M&S Bank Arena and previously the Echo Arena) is a multipurpose indoor arena in the City Center of Liverpool, England (UK). The venue hosts live music, comedy performances and sporting events and forms part of the Liverpool event campus ACC Liverpool – an interconnected arena, exhibition and convention center. The venue serves a regional population of 2.5 million people and over 6.6 million across England’s North West.
‘POLLSTAR’ further stated that one goal of the partnership is to bring even more international talent to England’s North. The Co-op Live Manchester, OVG’s first arena outside the US, which is located about an hour’s drive away from the M&S Bank Arena, has been leading the way welcoming the artistes including Paul McCartney (the English musician and member of the English rock band Beatles), the American rock singer Bruce Springsteen and the English folk rock band Mumford & Sons last year.
The Co-op Live is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, sited in the Etihad Campus next to the 52,900-capacity City of Manchester Stadium. It opened on May 14th ,2024, and is the largest indoor arena in the United Kingdom by capacity. It can accommodate 23,500 attendees.
The 23,500-capacity Etihad Campus is an area of Sportcity, Manchester (UK) which is mostly owned and operated by the Premier League team Manchester City F.C. The campus includes the 60,000-capacity Etihad Stadium, the City Football Academy (CFA) training facility and the club world headquarters, an undeveloped land adjacent to both of these facilities.
Some of the more recent concert highlights at the M&S Bank Arena Liverpool include an October 7th, 2025 show by the English pop-punk band Busted vs. the British pop rock band McFly promoted by the leading global live entertainment, ticketing, digital, and data company TEG Europe which sold out 8,887 tickets for a $685,781 gross. The arena also hosted a sold-out American professional wrestling promotion company – the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) – event in Summer, August 23rd, which moved 8,603 tickets (allowing a customer’s booking to another session) and grossed $1,037,390.
The OVG’s commercial partnerships will support the M&S Bank Arena to add the partners that can help further drive the building’s commercial success fan experience.
Owned by the Liverpool City Council the M&S Bank Arena has recently completed a full redevelopment of its premium hospitality suites unveiled during the English comedian, actor, writer, and director Peter Kay’s run of shows in October as part of a wider program of venue enhancements.
The arena calendar in 2026 includes performances by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz Live, the English musician, singer and songwriter Richard Ashcroft, the English musician Yungblud as well as legends like the American singer and songwriter Barry Manilow and the American singer-songwriter and guitarist Paul Simon.
Enthused Gary Hutchinson, Executive Vice-President, OVG Global Touring and Content (the travel arrangements firm), “We’re delighted to be working together with the team at ACC Liverpool to create more opportunities for the M&S Bank Arena and the City and help bring the biggest arena touring acts to Liverpool. We want to help deliver the vibrant, future-facing arena experience that this incredible City deserves.”
Remarked Ben Williams, Commercial and Business Development Director, ACC Liverpool Group, “Liverpool is a City that has always punched above its weight and by partnering with the OVG on the M&S Bank Arena we are gaining a wealth of experience that will elevate our programming and commercial partnerships. We know that people who live in and visit this City love to go out, so we want to give them a bigger, better, more diverse calendar of sports and entertainment shows and we’re excited to be working with the team at the OVG to help realize these ambitions.”
Added Alex Reese, Commercial and Brand Strategy Director, OVG, “Liverpool is one of the world’s most iconic music destinations and the M&S Bank Arena sits right at the heart of that story. With such a diverse program of events and audiences we have an incredible opportunity to work with the brand partners to enhance the in-venue experience and extend it beyond the show itself. We’re excited to be part of the future of this great arena and to help create even more memorable moments for the fans.”
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