Live Nation Entertainment is an American entertainment company, formed from the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It owns, leases, operates, has booking rights for and/or equity interest in a large number of U.S. entertainment venues. The leadership consists of John C. Malone, chairman of Liberty Media as chairman and Michael Rapino (previously chief executive officer of Live Nation) as president and CEO of the company.The merger that gave rise to the company was not without opposition.