Eurovision 2018 venue rebranded as the Altice Arena

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Lisbon’s MEO Arena would be rebranded as the Altice Arena going forward. This will be the second time that the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest host venue has changed its name since it opened in 1998. The Altice Arena opened its doors as the Pavilhão Atlântico, before changing to the MEO Arena in 2013.

It’s all about the sponsors

Following Arena Atlântico S.A.’s acquisition of the Pavilhão Atlântico in 2012, they made the decision to sell the naming rights of the arena to a sponsor. In 2013, it was Portugal Telecom (PT) that bought the rights. PT then chose to name the arena after its MEO brand. However, in 2015, Netherlands-based Altice acquired PT. Therefore, as Altice continue to put their stamp on the pre-existing infrastructure, they have chosen to rename the MEO brand to Altice. Thus, the MEO arena becomes the Altice Arena!
The news was officially announced earlier this week. To celebrate, MEO uploaded the official Altice Arena branding on their YouTube account:

One of Europe’s biggest indoor arenas

The Altice Arena can accommodate approximately 20,000 spectators and is the largest indoor arena in Portugal. It has since become the venue for various high-profile events, including a series of major concerts. Indeed, the likes of Madonna, Britney Spears, One Direction, Justin Bieber, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga have all taken to the Altice Arena stage. Next year, more than 40 more artists from all over Europe will add their names to this prestigious list when they take part in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest!
Do you like the sound of the arena’s new name? Perhaps you’d prefer Lisbon to revert to the original Atlantic Pavilion moniker? Let us know in the comments below!