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SeaWorld Entertainment is a family entertainment company formerly owned by Blackstone Group, which retains a minority shareholding. SeaWorld operates and maintains eleven theme parks located throughout the United States. Formerly a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch since 1959, under which it was known as Busch Entertainment Corporation, SeaWorld Parks is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.
According to their most recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing, annual attendance for calendar year 2012 was 24.4 million, while attendance for the January 1-October 31, 2013 period was 18.9 million. Average revenue per attendee was $62.79, of which 62% consists of admission fees. 55% of revenues were generated from parks in Florida, 20% in California, and 11% in Virginia.
In October 2009, Anheuser-Busch InBev announced plans to sell the division to the Blackstone Group private-equity firm in order to reduce the debt load generated by InBev's 2008 purchase of Anheuser-Busch. The sale was completed on December 1, 2009 and with it came a new company name, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
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