Live Nation’s Takeover of Pukkelpop Draws Scrutiny from Belgian Regulators

The Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) is investigating Live Nation’s takeover of Pukkelpop, one of Belgium's biggest festivals with a capacity of 250,000.

Backstory:

• After four decades of collaboration, in October it was announced Live Nation had agreed to become the parent company of Pukkelpop.

• In Belgium, Live Nation provides artist booking services, organizes festivals (including three of Belgium’s biggest: Rock Werchter, Dour and Graspop), manages large concert venues such as AFAS Dome, Trixxo Arena and more, and operates ticket sales via its Ticketmaster platform.

The investigation:

• The BCA’s investigation will assess the likely effects of the takeover on competition in the Belgian music festival space, and in the field of live entertainment in general.

• It will be conducted independently by the BCA Prosecution and Investigation Service and will consider competition rules prohibiting anti-competitive agreements and abuses of dominant positions.