Changes Requested by CMA
The UK competition authority and the British market (CMA) have urged Ticketmaster to implement significant alterations in how it designates tickets and conveys pricing information to consumers.
The directives from the CMA followed an official investigation into Ticketmaster related to OASIS ticket sales last year, which drew numerous consumer complaints.
As stated by the CMA, published today (March 25), the regulator is currently “consulting with a ticket platform on changes so fans receive accurate information at the right time.”
Concerns About Ticketmaster Practices
The CMA investigation focused on two major concerns regarding Ticketmaster, which sold over 900,000 tickets during the OASIS sale:
- The CMA alleges that Ticketmaster labeled certain seats as “platinum” and charged nearly 2.5 times the price of equivalent standard tickets, “without a sufficient explanation that they do not offer additional advantages and were often in the same area of the stadium.”
- The CMA also claims that Ticketmaster “failed to inform consumers that there were two categories of regular tickets at different prices, and that all cheaper regular tickets were sold first before the expensive ones were made available.”
This practice, according to the CMA, resulted in “many fans waiting in long lines, unaware that they would have to pay more, forcing them to decide whether to pay higher than expected prices.”
Despite fan speculations, the CMA’s investigation found no evidence that Ticketmaster employed an algorithmic model of “dynamic pricing” during the OASIS sale, with ticket prices adjusted in real time based on demand.
Instead, the regulator discovered that Ticketmaster released a number of standard tickets at lower prices and, once those sold out, made remaining regular tickets available at much higher prices.
“We are concerned that OASIS fans did not receive the necessary information they needed, or were potentially misled regarding the purchase of tickets that they believed to be superior,” stated Haley Fletcher, interim senior director of consumers at the CMA.
“We expect Ticketmaster to work with us to address these issues so that fans can make well-informed decisions when purchasing tickets in the future.”
Future Implications and Legal Matters
The CMA initiated its investigation in September 2024 after reports indicated that more than 10 million fans struggled to secure tickets for the Tasis Tour Reunion, during which all ticket platforms faced challenges, according to the group.
The inquiry followed OASIS publicly distancing itself from Ticketmaster’s pricing strategies, stating in a press release: “It is essential to clarify that OASIS leaves the ticket sales and pricing decisions entirely to their promoters and management, and there was never any indication that dynamic pricing would be utilized.”
The CMA notes that although Ticketmaster has made some adjustments to its ticket-selling process since the investigation began, these changes are deemed insufficient to resolve the regulator’s concerns.
The CMA now requires further improvements in Ticketmaster’s processes, particularly in enhancing the information provided to customers regarding ticket labeling and pricing.
Beginning April 6, 2025, the CMA will acquire new consumer powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which will enable it to determine when consumer law violations occur without taking cases to court. These powers will also permit the CMA to fine companies up to 10% of their turnover for breaches of consumer laws.
This investigation into Ticketmaster is separate from the ongoing legal battle between Live Nation (Ticketmaster’s parent company) and the US Department of Justice, which filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation in May 2024.
The DOJ lawsuit seeks to separate Live Nation from Ticketmaster, particularly addressing the company’s dynamic pricing methods in its complaints.
Live Nation has previously contended that dynamic pricing programs address the issue of scalpers purchasing tickets at face value and reselling them at inflated prices.
Ticketmaster told to change labeling practices following Oasis ticket investigation in the UK
