Watchdog threatens Ticketmaster with litigation over Oasis tickets
The UK’s competition watchdog has threatened Ticketmaster with legal action as it seeks information over the way the platform sold tickets for Oasis’s reunion tour.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched its investigation into the seller giant last September over concerns about the “dynamic pricing” that consumers faced when trying to purchase tickets for the now-sold-out tour.
When tickets went on sale last August, around 14 million people were said to have joined the rush for 1.4 million tickets for 17 shows announced at the time across the UK and Ireland.
After the tickets for the upcoming tour were sold, hundreds of people made official complaints to the advertising regulator, citing that standard tickets were being offered at multiples of their original price due to high demand.
The use of dynamic pricing for these anticipated tickets even had Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledging to address the concerns. “I’m committed to putting fans at the heart of music and ending extortionate price resales, and we’re starting a consultation to work out how best we can do this,” he said at the time.
The CMA published concerns in March that Ticketmaster may have breached consumer rights by misleading fans regarding the pricing of tickets, and sought voluntary undertakings from Ticketmaster.
The watchdog provided the seller with time to respond, which it did in June; however, following the review of its reply, the CMA said its “view is that there is fundamental disagreement between the CMA and Ticketmaster about whether Ticketmaster’s practices infringed consumer law.”
The watchdog appeared before the Business and Trade Committee in June, as part of its evidence, it provided a written submission to the Committee on its work, which included a short update on the Ticketmaster case.
The update, published on Wednesday, highlighted that the CMA has written to Ticketmaster to confirm that it has now discharged its obligation to consult with the company.
The watchdog stated: “Given that no undertakings have been offered or agreed, is now preparing to litigate the matter if necessary.”
“The CMA will, in parallel, continue to engage with Ticketmaster in an effort to secure a voluntary resolution, should it indicate a clear and timely commitment to do so,” the watchdog added.
This update comes as the highly anticipated reunion tour of the English rock band Oasis is set to start on Friday, kicking off in Cardiff. The tour will come to the capital later in July, which is set to deliver a remarkable £426.3m boost to London’s economy, with fans across the UK set to spend over £1bn.