London theaters blast $1 bil mark

Survey says West End outdoes soccer

By REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) -- Theaters in London's West End are now a £1 billion ($1.6 billion) industry that are more popular than soccer games in the capital, a study showed on Wednesday.

Last year London theaters sold 11.5 million seats compared to 4 million for London football matches.

The survey, by the London School of Economics, revealed that the theater, one of Britain's prime tourist attractions, accounts for 41,000 jobs. Its total economic impact was put at $1.758 billion.

"London remains the theater capital of the world with more shows and bigger audiences than anywhere, including Broadway," Tony Travers of the London School of Economics said.