Comcast Spectacor

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Comcast Spectacor
FormerlySpectacor (1974–1996)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryProfessional sports
Founded1974; 50 years ago (1974)
FounderEd Snider
Headquarters
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
,
U.S.
Key people
ParentComcast (1996-present)
Subsidiaries
Websitecomcastspectacor.com

Comcast Spectacor is an American sports and entertainment company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League, the Seoul Infernal[1] of the Overwatch League, and formerly owned the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association and the Maine Mariners of the ECHL. The company owns and manages the Wells Fargo Center and formerly managed the Spectrum in South Philadelphia, plus several community skating rinks in the Philadelphia region. The Comcast SportsNet (CSN) regional sports networks were also owned by Comcast Spectacor prior to parent company Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal in January 2011; CSN is now operated through NBC Sports.

The company was formed in 1974 by Flyers founder and chairman Ed Snider as Spectacor, the parent company of both the Flyers and the Spectrum. Snider had been instrumental in getting the Spectrum built in 1967 and assumed control of the arena in 1971. He sold a 63% stake in Spectacor to Comcast in 1996 but remained as chairman of the renamed Comcast Spectacor. Shortly afterward, Comcast Spectacor bought the 76ers; as the Spectrum's owner, Snider had been the Sixers' landlord since 1971. Comcast Spectacor sold the 76ers to Josh Harris in 2011. In April 2016, Snider died at his home in California. On September 22, 2016, Comcast announced that it would buy out the remaining 24% that it did not already own.[2]

Spectra Experiences

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Comcast Spectacor is the principal owner of Spectra (formerly Global Spectrum, Ovations and Paciolan). Globally, Spectra serves 300-plus clients at more than 400 properties including public assembly facilities throughout the United States and Canada, such as arenas, civic and convention centers, stadiums, university convocation center, trade and exposition centers, community ice rinks and theaters. Some of the arenas and stadiums currently managed by Spectra are:[3]

Spectra is composed of three divisions: Venue Management (formerly Global Spectrum), Food Services & Hospitality (formerly Ovations Food Services), and Ticketing & Fan Engagement (formerly Paciolan).

On June 12, 2017, Learfield, acquired Spectra's Ticketing & Fan Engagement division – formerly known as Paciolan – from Comcast Spectacor.[4]

In August 2021, it was announced that Spectra would be merging with Oak View Group to form a full-service live events company.[5]

On November 19, 2021, Oak View Group completed the acquisition of Spectra to form a full-service live events company.[6]

Other businesses

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Comcast Spectacor owns Ovations Food Services, which provides food and beverage services to arenas, stadiums, amphitheaters, fairgrounds and convention centers throughout the United States. The roots of the name Ovations go back to a restaurant in the Spectrum, which was located below the concourse.[citation needed]

New Era Tickets is the full-service ticketing subsidiary of Comcast Spectacor, and provides in-house ticketing in the US and Canada. In Philadelphia, the company operates under the name ComcastTIX and provides tickets to events at Wells Fargo Center, Liacouras Center at Temple University, CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey, and the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Comcast Spectacor owned the Seoul Infernal, an Overwatch League team formerly known as the Philadelphia Fusion, until the closure of the Overwatch League. The organization partnered with SK Telecom to establish a joint venture with T1 Entertainment & Sports to develop esports teams around the world; Comcast Spectacor currently owns a 32% stake.[7][8]

Comcast Spectacor also oversees G4, a former video game-centric cable and satellite network that was operated by G4 Media from April 24, 2002, to December 31, 2014. The network was relaunched in November 2021 and shuttered in November of the following year.[9][10]

References

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  1. ^ "Presenting the Philadelphia Fusion". Overwatch League. November 1, 2017. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017.
  2. ^ "Comcast Corporation To Acquire Ed Snider's Stake In Comcast Spectacor". corporate.comcast.com (Press release).
  3. ^ "CRDA Awards Convention Center and Boardwalk Hall Facilities Management to Global Spectrum". Global Spectrum. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  4. ^ "Learfield to Acquire Spectra's Ticketing & Fan Engagement Division from Comcast Spectacor". finance.yahoo.com.
  5. ^ "Oak View Group and Spectra to Merge, Creating a Leading Full-Service Live Events Company". prnewswire.com. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  6. ^ "Oak View Group Completes Major Acquisition of Spectra". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  7. ^ "SK Telecom, Comcast form e-sports venture". October 11, 2019.
  8. ^ "SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor Announce Global Esports Joint Venture". corporate.comcast.com. February 25, 2019.
  9. ^ Spangler, Todd (July 24, 2020). "Long-Dormant Gaming Network G4 TV Teases 2021 Relaunch by Comcast Spectacor". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  10. ^ Hayes, Dade (October 16, 2022). "Comcast Pulls Plug On G4 TV, Ending Comeback Try For Gamer-Focused Network". Deadline. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
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