TicketWeb Inc. a company that specializes in online ticket sales for small-to-midsized venues, has been purchased by online ticketing rival Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch in a $35.2 million stock deal. TicketWeb--which originally marketed itself as an alternative to Ticketmaster--will continue to operate as a separate brand, and will retain its own staff.

TMCS sells online tickets for Ticketmaster Corp., which focuses on the sale of tickets to events at large venues. (LiveDaily is a publication of Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch.) In a Tuesday (5/30) conference call with reporters and financial analysts, TMCS execs said that the acquisition gives the company access to TicketWeb's proprietary software, as well as its 700 clients.

TicketWeb tickets will be integrated into the CitySearch "city guides" in the coming months, according to a TMCS press release.