StubHub To Leave The UK?
The secondary ticketing giant is threatening action should a price cap be implemented
Secondary ticketing agency StubHub International is threatening to pull out of the UK market if a proposed price cap on resale tickets goes ahead.
The issue:
The UK government has been looking at implementing a cap of up to 30% on resale prices to prevent scalpers from putting huge mark-ups on tickets to sport and music events.
StubHub argue this could force legitimate resellers away from their service to social media platforms and other means, where the threat of being scammed is greater.
Research by Virgin Media O2 claimed scalpers cost music fans an extra £145 million per year.
The threat:
As per The Ticketing Business, in an interview with The Financial Times StubHub Chief Executive Bob Kupbens said that “even at 30%, we feel very strongly that would make it very challenging for us to operate” in the UK.
He cited the costs of building “the fraud protections” and having live customer service staff as being prohibitive.
What’s next?
In January the UK government announced a public consultation around the ticket resale market, of which the price cap was one of the major features.
It is currently considering the responses and next steps.
Secondary ticketing agency StubHub International is threatening to pull out of the UK market if a proposed price cap on resale tickets goes ahead.
The issue:
The UK government has been looking at implementing a cap of up to 30% on resale prices to prevent scalpers from putting huge mark-ups on tickets to sport and music events.
StubHub argue this could force legitimate resellers away from their service to social media platforms and other means, where the threat of being scammed is greater.
Research by Virgin Media O2 claimed scalpers cost music fans an extra £145 million per year.
The threat:
As per The Ticketing Business, in an interview with The Financial Times StubHub Chief Executive Bob Kupbens said that “even at 30%, we feel very strongly that would make it very challenging for us to operate” in the UK.
He cited the costs of building “the fraud protections” and having live customer service staff as being prohibitive.
What’s next?
In January the UK government announced a public consultation around the ticket resale market, of which the price cap was one of the major features.
It is currently considering the responses and next steps.
Secondary ticketing agency StubHub International is threatening to pull out of the UK market if a proposed price cap on resale tickets goes ahead.
The issue:
The UK government has been looking at implementing a cap of up to 30% on resale prices to prevent scalpers from putting huge mark-ups on tickets to sport and music events.
StubHub argue this could force legitimate resellers away from their service to social media platforms and other means, where the threat of being scammed is greater.
Research by Virgin Media O2 claimed scalpers cost music fans an extra £145 million per year.
The threat:
As per The Ticketing Business, in an interview with The Financial Times StubHub Chief Executive Bob Kupbens said that “even at 30%, we feel very strongly that would make it very challenging for us to operate” in the UK.
He cited the costs of building “the fraud protections” and having live customer service staff as being prohibitive.
What’s next?
In January the UK government announced a public consultation around the ticket resale market, of which the price cap was one of the major features.
It is currently considering the responses and next steps.
👋 Disclosures & Transparency Block
- This story was written with information sourced from The Ticketing Business.
- We covered it because it relates to the live music industry and the topical issue of secondary ticketing.
📨 Subscribe to NIF
Get news dropped in your inbox 👇
📨 Subscribe to NIF
Get news dropped in your inbox 👇
Related Articles
Policy & Legal
Nov 14, 2025
1 min read
Radiohead, Coldplay, and Other Major UK Artists Call for Ticket Price Cap
The headlining acts signed an open letter to the government requesting a cap on resale ticket prices
Policy & Legal
Nov 13, 2025
1 min read
Downtown Music Holdings Faces New $375 Million Lawsuit Amidst UMG Deal Probe
YouTube royalty platform Blast Off Media filed the new lawsuit
Policy & Legal
Nov 11, 2025
1 min read
German Court Rules ChatGPT Illegally Used Song Lyrics for AI Training
This is the first time a court in Europe has ruled in favor of creators whose works were used to train generative AI
Radiohead, Coldplay, and Other Major UK Artists Call for Ticket Price Cap
The headlining acts signed an open letter to the government requesting a cap on resale ticket prices
Harry Levin
Policy
Nov 14, 2025
Downtown Music Holdings Faces New $375 Million Lawsuit Amidst UMG Deal Probe
YouTube royalty platform Blast Off Media filed the new lawsuit
Harry Levin
Policy
Nov 13, 2025
German Court Rules ChatGPT Illegally Used Song Lyrics for AI Training
This is the first time a court in Europe has ruled in favor of creators whose works were used to train generative AI
Harry Levin
Policy
Nov 11, 2025
Music Publishers Move to Reopen Lawsuit Against the NBA
The complaint states that the professional sports organization illegally used music in social media videos
Harry Levin
Policy
Nov 10, 2025
Spotify Faces Class Action Lawsuit Alleging “Pay For Play” Discovery Mode
The claim states that third-party payments can influence music placements in Discovery Mode and editorial playlists
Harry Levin
Policy
Nov 6, 2025
Suno Sued by Danish Songwriter Collecting Society Koda
It alleges “the biggest theft in music history”
Rod Yates
Policy
Nov 5, 2025
