AOL Time Warner has formed two separate alliances to expand online ticketing services to over 5,000 entertainment venues in the US, covering more than 85% of cinemas capable of offering internet ticketing.

A multi-year pact - dubbed AOL Box Office By Ticketmaster - was struck to distribute the company's ticketing services to all AOL brands. In addition to a co-branded website, Ticketmaster's online network of Citysearch guides will promote AOL's own cinema information and ticketing service AOL Moviefone.

Via a minority investment, AOL has also formed an alliance with rival cinema information and ticketing company Movietickets.com, whose founding shareholders include Hollywood Media Corp, AMC Entertainment and National Amusements. As well as being available through a co-branded website, the service will also be accessible through Hollywood Media Corp's Hollywood.com site.

Through several AOL brands, the combined ticketing services will be available to more than 30 million AOL and CompuServe members as well as additional users of AOL's online services. Both ticketing alliances will also be accessible via wireless delivery services.

"By combining our event information and ticketing transaction capability with AOL's unparalleled audience, we substantially increase our ticketing distribution network," said John Pleasants, president and CEO of Ticketmaster.