Arena Holdings

Arena Holdings is a Johannesburg media and entertainment group. Its music interests trade as The Music Arena and comprise Gallo Record Company, South Africa’s oldest independent label, Gallo Music Publishers, and a minority position in the Johannesburg aggregator Content Connect Africa.

Gallo Music Investments was bought from Tiso Blackstar by Lebashe Investment Group in a transaction trade reporting valued at R75m, and folded into Arena Holdings in 2020. Trade reporting from September 2021 states that Arena Holdings is wholly owned by Lebashe Investment Group. Gallo Record Company’s own site describes the label as “a proud division of Arena Holdings”, and Arena’s own site carries profile pages for both Gallo Record Company and Gallo Music Publishers.

Gallo Music Investments acquired a 45% equity stake in Content Connect Africa in a deal reported on 6 September 2021. That is a minority stake. A joint press release issued on 5 February 2026 with Virgin Music Group describes Arena Holdings as “the parent company of both Gallo Records and CCA”; no shareholding disclosed in any document checked by this desk supports control of CCA, and the 45% figure is the only equity number on the public record.

Antos Stella is named as chief executive of Arena Holdings in that February 2026 release. She was named as chief executive of Content Connect Africa in September 2021.