The former KeyArena in
Seattle was redeveloped in preparation for the
Seattle Kraken, the city's
National Hockey League team. The new arena, named
Climate Pledge Arena via a naming rights deal with
Amazon is also home to the
WNBA's
Seattle Storm. On December 4, 2017, the
Seattle City Council voted 7–1 to approve a
memorandum of understanding with the OVG for the redevelopment, which built a new subterranean arena on the existing site while retaining the historical landmarked roof and three exterior walls. Demolition and construction for the new arena began in 2018 and was fully completed in 2021. The company was competing against a
rival proposal by
Chris Hansen. On December 7, the NHL's board of governors agreed to consider an application for an expansion team from Seattle, with an expansion fee set at $650 million. The Seattle ownership group is represented by
David Bonderman and
Jerry Bruckheimer. On February 20, Mayor
Jenny Durkan launched an NHL campaign during her State of the Union and announced that the OVG would be initiating a season ticket drive on March 1, 2018. OVG manages Climate Pledge Arena. The group is also a partner in
UBS Arena with the
New York Islanders. In December 2017, New York Arena Partners (a venture of the Islanders, OVG, and
Sterling Equities) won a bid to construct a new, 18,000-seat arena and mixed-used district at
Belmont Park, beating a competing proposal by
New York City FC for a new soccer stadium. The new arena was completed in time for the 2021–22 season. In 2016, OVG announced an "Arena Alliance" of independent arenas such as
AT&T Center (San Antonio),
Scotiabank Arena (Toronto),
Amalie Arena (Tampa Bay),
BB&T Center (Ft. Lauderdale),
Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis),
Chase Center (San Francisco),
PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh),
KeyBank Center (Buffalo),
The Forum (Los Angeles),
Golden 1 Center (Sacramento),
Little Caesars Arena (Detroit),
Madison Square Garden (New York),
Ball Arena (Denver),
State Farm Arena (Atlanta),
Prudential Center (Newark),
Rocket Arena (Cleveland),
Rogers Arena (Vancouver),
Enterprise Center (St. Louis),
United Center (Chicago),
Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia), and
Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul). In 2016, OVG acquired Venues Today, a trade publication for the live entertainment industry. In 2017, the company purchased
Pollstar, a
trade publication for the
concert industry. In 2018, it was announced that OVG and the
University of Texas at Austin (UT) had agreed to build a new $338 million arena for the Texas Longhorns
men's and
women's basketball programs to replace the
Frank Erwin Center. Under the agreement, UT has exclusive use of the arena for 60 days per year and receives all revenue from Longhorns games, while OVG and its partners
Live Nation and
C3 Presents have the right to hold events on the other days, receiving the bulk of the revenue from those dates. The arena, ultimately named
Moody Center, opened in April 2022. In 2019, OVG launched Oak View Group International. Based in London, it will focus on building arena and stadium development and partnership opportunities in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Jessica Koravos, president of
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
Really Useful Group, and formerly MD of
Anschutz Entertainment Group Live and COO of AEG Europe, is co-chair of OVG International alongside
Tim Leiweke. In February 2019, it was announced that OVG had become the arena manager of Webster Bank Arena, now known as
Total Mortgage Arena, in
Bridgeport, Connecticut. Oak View Group also will operate
Acrisure Arena in
Thousand Palms, California. Upon completion in December 2022, the arena became the home ice for the Kraken's
American Hockey League affiliate, the
Coachella Valley Firebirds. In August 2021, it was announced that OVG and Spectra, a venue management company, would be merging to form a full-service live events company. In October 2021, Oak View Group partnered with the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group (HUPEG) to redevelop
Hamilton, Ontario's Arts and Entertainment district, including a renovation of
TD Coliseum. In November 2021, Oak View Group and Thirty Five Ventures (founded by basketball star
Kevin Durant) reached a 30-year agreement with
Baltimore City to operate the city-owned arena, now called
CFG Bank Arena. The arena underwent $250 million in renovations and reopened in April 2023. In March 2022, OVG announced its largest project to date, a 20,000-seat arena in Las Vegas. The is south of the
station for the high speed rail line to the Los Angeles area,
Brightline West. On July 10, 2025, the Department of Justice indicted Tim Leiweke for violation of the Sherman Act in relation to bid rigging of a college stadium in Texas. As a result of the indictment, Oak View Group agreed to pay a $15M fine and Tim Leiweke stepped down as CEO. Tim Leiweke received a presidential pardon on 2nd Dec 2025. ==References==