Christopher BarrettThe UK government is expected to announce tomorrow it will ban the reselling of tickets above face value, while the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened an investigation into controversial re-sales sites including Viagogo and Stubhub.
It is believed that the government announcement tomorrow, 19 November, will also lead to legislation capping the service fees charged by resale platforms in order to stop price limits being undermined by additional costs.
The pending announcement follows a call by some of the UK’s biggest artists, including Coldplay (pictured) and Dua Lipa, and associations representing every corner of the live music industry, for Sir Keir Starmer to honour his pledge to protect fans from online ticket touts.
The Labour manifesto promised stronger consumer protections and the government has since pledged to cap resale prices to shut out the online touts. More than a year after it first promised action, and seven months since its consultation on the issue closed, there are widespread reports that the Government is finally set to act.
Separately, the Competition and Markets Authority said it is investigating practices carried out by ticket re-sale platforms StubHub and Viagogo as part of a major package of action covering online pricing practices, including drip pricing and pressure selling, under the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 . Stubhub’s share price has dropped by around a third in value over the last few days.
Ticketmaster owner Live Nation issued the following statement in reaction to the government’s expected ban on selling tickets for profit: “Live Nation fully supports the UK government’s plan to ban ticket resale above face value.
“Ticketmaster already limits all resale in the UK to face value prices, and this is another major step forward for fans — cracking down on exploitative touting to help keep live events accessible. We encourage others around the world to adopt similar fan-first policies.”
Richard Davies, founder of face-value ticket resale platform Twickets, said. “For too long, fans have been exploited by industrial-scale touting that drives up prices, damages trust and locks genuine supporters out of the events they love.
“This is a landmark moment for consumer protection in live entertainment, and one that artists, industry bodies and fans have been calling for over many years. Everyday ordinary people are priced out while commercial resellers are bulk-buying to resell at hugely inflated prices.”