O2 renames Brixton Academy and Shepherd’s Bush Empire

MOBILE phone company O2 has won naming rights to three popular London music venues as part of an ambitious expansion of its music empire.

Brixton Academy, Shepherd's Bush Empire and Islington Academy will be rebranded following the deal between the mobile phone company, the Academy Music Group and its shareholder, concert promoter Live Nation. The move threatens to alienate millions of music fans on other mobile networks as O2 customers will receive preferential treatment as part of the deal, including access to tickets 48 hours before they go on sale to the general public.

The venues will be known from January as O2Academy Brixton, O2Shepherd's Bush Empire and O2Academy Islington.

The group's eight other venues across the nation will also be similarly renamed.

O2 customers will also get fast-track entry to gigs, access to special areas and the opportunity to text ahead to make special arrangements.

The mobile company will have first option on exclusive live content from gigs at the venues, which it hopes to make available for download through its handsets.

Ronan Dunne, chief executive at Telefónica O2UK, said: "Our customers tell us that they really value having priority access to tickets at the O2 Arena, so we want to bring this benefit to even more."

The company also plans to link the rebranded venues to its existing promotion of grassroots music and its £1 million community grants programme.

John Northcote, chief executive of AMG, said the deal would benefit artists and concert-goers.

He said: "O2 have a dedicated programme and track record of rewarding their customers and embracing new methods of communication as well as supporting new and emerging artists."