Ticketmaster
Online-CitySearch, Inc.
Announces Strong Online
Ticket and City Guide Sales in the Fourth Quarter
User Traffic Also Significantly Increases
PASADENA, CA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--January 12, 1999--Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch,
Inc. (NASDAQ: TMCS - news) announced today strong sales increases across all business
segments for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 1998. On a comparative basis, Ticketmaster
Online-CitySearch, Inc. (www.citysearch.com, www.ticketmaster.com) businesses generated
$13.6 million in sales, a 143% increase over the fourth quarter of 1997. The significant sales
increase is primarily attributed to record online ticket sales combined with continued growth in
both Web site sales and sponsorship and advertising.
Fourth Quarter Sales
($ in millions) 1998 1997 % Change
Ticketing Operations $5.8 $1.9 205 %
City Guide 5.3 2.5 112 %
Sponsorship & Advertising 2.5 1.2 108 %
Total $13.6 $5.6 143 %
The growth in online ticket sales last quarter was due in part to several successful events, such as
the 1998 World Series. In particular, for those games played in San Diego, over 25% of
Ticketmaster's sales were sold online. For the fourth quarter of 1998, the percentage of
Ticketmaster's tickets sold online increased to approximately 6%, as compared to 2% in the
fourth quarter of 1997.
City guide sales were driven in large part by a 119% increase in the average monthly price for
new business Web sites sold in the Company's owned and operated markets. The average price
increased from $100 in December 1997 to $219 in December 1998.
Charles Conn, CEO of Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch, said, ''An increase in overall Web usage
last quarter contributed to our success as seen by examples such as online ticket sales for the
World Series. Additionally, we continue to better target our local business customers with
customized packages of complementary products. And through continued integration and
promotion of our ticketing services and local city guides, we anticipate similar results for online
ticket and city guide sales growth in the future.''
Usage Increases
Usage of Ticketmaster Online and CitySearch's Web sites continued to increase strongly.
According to Media Metrix, the number of unique users of the sites grew 39% between August
1998 and October 1998, from 2.15 million to 3.0 million users. Based on the number of home
Internet users in its local markets, Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch believes that its city guide
sites have reached a higher proportion of Web users in their local markets than other city guide
Web sites.
About Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch
Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch, Inc. (www.citysearch.com, www.ticketmaster.com) is a
leading provider of local city guides, local advertising and live event ticketing on the Internet.
The CitySearch city guides provide up-to-date information regarding arts and entertainment
events, community activities, recreation, business, shopping, professional services and
news/sports/weather to consumers in metropolitan areas. Ticketmaster Online offers consumers
up-to-date information on live entertainment events and a convenient means of purchasing tickets
for live events and related merchandise on the World Wide Web in 42 states and in Canada and
the United Kingdom.
Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch has received numerous recent local and national awards.
CitySearch, Inc. was named the ''Best Regional/Local Directory Service'' by the Local Internet
Service Awards (LISA) sponsored by the American Association of Directory Marketing, Inc. and
the Kelsey Group in September, 1998. Additionally, Style Live on Washingtonpost.com, a
CitySearch city guide partner, received the LISA award for ''Best City Guide.'' New York
CitySearch received a 1998 Webby Award in the category of ''Travel Websites.'' The Webby
Awards are sponsored by PC World magazine.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release
may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Among the
important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements are: the limited operating history and early development stage of
Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch, Inc. (the ''Company''); the absence of history of Ticketmaster
Online as an independent company; the Company's lack of profitability and anticipation of
continued losses; the Company's dependence on its relationship with Ticketmaster Corporation;
control of the Company by USA Networks, Inc.; the potential for conflicts of interest; possible
future sales of the Company's securities by USA Networks, Inc.; company integration risks; the
Company's dependence on increased ticket sales; the Company's future capital needs and the
uncertainty of additional financing; the unpredictability and potential fluctuations in future
revenues and operating results and other factors detailed in the Company's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including its filing on Form S-1.
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