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The Academy Music Group (AMG) continued its ambitious expansion programme last month with the opening of a tenth UK venue under its naming rights deal with Carling. The 2,000-capacity Carling Academy Newcastle opened on 14 October, following a £4m redevelopment of a Gala Bingo Hall in the city. In addition to live music in the main auditorium, Carling Academy Newcastle also has a 400-capacity production-complete space, which will host club nights and is available for corporate hire. AMG owns and operates Carling Academy venues in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow and Liverpool. “We are creating a national touring circuit but we take our time researching suitable theatre-type venues in strong student-populated areas,” AMG operations director Steve Forster said. “The reputation of our estate is helped by the brand values of our sponsors. We provide a comfortable safe environment to enjoy live music in and Carling has bought into this concept in the knowledge that it adds real value to the local economies.” Carling signalled its support for the growth of the AMG estate by renewing its three-year naming rights contract earlier this year. A similar deal with video game console brand Xbox has also been renewed, which will see branded events take place across the AMG estate and the latest games trialed in Carling venues. AMG’s finance director Patrick Marling said: “The next thing could be to connect the estate wirelessly so that people in different venues can play against each other. Future sites being looked at include Leeds, Manchester, Brighton, Cardiff and Southampton but there are also options to grow abroad or in regional centres such as Norwich where there are more of the right kinds of venues available.”