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New UK Legislation to Combat Ticket Resale and Algorithmic Price-Fixing

By  |  January 12, 2025
price-fixing

The UK government has unveiled plans to introduce new legislation aimed at curbing the soaring prices of resale tickets, a move set to tackle the ongoing issue of ticket touting. The announcement follows widespread criticism of secondary ticket markets, where tickets for high-demand events have been resold at significantly inflated prices, leaving fans frustrated and out of pocket.

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    According to EuroNews, the issue came to a head after sold-out concerts by popular artists such as Coldplay and Taylor Swift saw tickets rapidly appearing on resale platforms at steep markups. Swift’s Eras Tour tickets, in particular, were snapped up quickly when they became available ahead of last summer’s UK shows, only to reappear online with prices reaching several thousand pounds.

    In response, the UK government has launched a public consultation to explore the most effective approach to tackle ticket touting, with a likely proposal to impose a price cap on resale tickets. The suggested cap would limit the resale price to the face value of the ticket or a 30% increase, ensuring that consumers are not overcharged for access to these events.

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    EuroNews reports that a recent analysis by the UK’s Competition and Market Authority (CMA) found that secondary market tickets are often sold for over 50% more than their original price. The government’s proposed legislation will also address the practice of mass ticket buying, with plans to impose limits on how many tickets a reseller can sell at once. This would prevent touts from buying large quantities of tickets to resell them at inflated rates.

    Read more: Norwegian Salmon Firms Face New UK Lawsuit Over Price-Fixing Allegations

    In addition to tackling ticket touting, the government is opening a call for evidence on dynamic pricing, following a scandal involving the release of tickets for Oasis’s 2025 tour. As reported by EuroNews, tickets that were initially priced at £150 (€180) were later resold for more than £350 (€420) on the official vendor’s site. The CMA, alongside Ireland’s Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, is currently investigating the practice, which has drawn criticism for unfairly inflating prices.

    UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy emphasized that the government is taking action to protect consumers and ensure that money spent on tickets goes toward supporting the live events sector rather than enriching secondary market resellers. “We are taking action to strengthen consumer protections, stop fans getting ripped off, and ensure money spent on tickets goes back into our incredible live events sector, instead of into the pockets of greedy touts,” Nandy said, according to EuroNews.

    In response to the growing concern over ticket touting, Oasis has implemented measures to combat the resale of its tickets. The band has warned fans that tickets for their upcoming tour can only be resold through their official partner, Twickets. Furthermore, Ticketmaster’s parent company, LiveNation, has announced plans to cancel over 50,000 tickets that were sold through unauthorized secondary sites, some of which were listed for as much as £119,000 (€143,000), per BBC reports.

    Viagogo, a major player in the ticket resale market, has also expressed its intention to participate in the government’s consultation, stating that it looks forward to responding to the call for evidence on improving consumer protections in the ticketing market.

    Source: EuroNews