CMA Secures Ticketmaster Pledge to Improve Fairness for Fans

Ticketmaster has pledged to give fans clear information when buying concert tickets. It follows an investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into the ticketing giant’s handling of the Oasis onsales.

The investigation:

• The CMA investigated two key areas of the Oasis tour reunion ticket sale.

• The first was that Ticketmaster failed to tell fans waiting in long queues that standing tickets were being sold at two different prices, with prices jumping as soon as the cheaper tier sold out.

• Some ‘platinum’ tickets were sold at almost 2.5 times the price of ‘standard’ tickets, but there was no explanation that they offered no additional benefits to standard tickets in the same areas of the venue.

The promise:

• The CMA has secured an undertaking from Ticketmaster that it will ensure fans are treated fairly when buying tickets. The four key promises are:

• Tell fans at least 24 hours in advance if a tiered pricing system is being used.

• Provide more information about ticket prices during online queues, ensuring transparency around the final cost, and alerting fans to any changes to pricing once cheaper tickets sell out.

• No misleading ticket labels – tickets will be described accurately and without any suggestion that one is better than another when it’s not the case.

• Ticketmaster will provide regular reports to the CMA on how it has implemented the undertakings over the next two years.

• Ticketmaster has called on the CMA to ensure the remainder of the industry follows these voluntary undertakings.

No dynamic pricing:

• The CMA’s investigation found no evidence that Ticketmaster had used algorithmic dynamic pricing to adjust Oasis prices in real time.

What they said:

• Ticketmaster: “We welcome the CMA’s confirmation there was no dynamic pricing, no unfair practices and that we did not breach consumer law. To further improve the customer experience, we’ve voluntarily committed to clearer communication about ticket prices in queues. This builds on our capped resale, strong bot protection, and clear pricing displays – and we encourage the CMA to hold the entire industry to these same standards.”

• Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA: “The changes we’ve secured will give fans more information about prices and clear descriptions of exactly what they are getting for their money. If Ticketmaster fails to deliver on these changes, we won’t hesitate to take further action.”