Senators Ask DOJ To Probe Ticketmaster’s Fanatics Partnership

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) are asking the Department of Justice to investigate whether a recently announced partnership between Ticketmaster and Fanatics violates antitrust laws. In a letter sent Tuesday to Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, who oversees the DOJ’s antitrust division, the senators claim the deal could further cement Ticketmaster’s powerful market position while denying consumers a potentially significant new competitor in Fanatics.

The request comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, which is facing a federal antitrust lawsuit filed by the DOJ and multiple states in May 2024. That suit accuses Live Nation and Ticketmaster of unfairly using exclusive venue contracts and other practices to stifle competition, raise prices, and restrict resale options.

“Depriving Consumers of Competition”
The senators’ letter describes Ticketmaster as an “online ticketing monopolist” and Fanatics as a high-potential disruptor. It suggests Fanatics chose not to compete directly with Ticketmaster—despite “innovating and disrupting” other sports-related markets—and instead formed a partnership that benefits Ticketmaster’s market dominance.

“Rather than innovate, disrupt and compete themselves as they have in numerous other sports-related markets, [Fanatics] entered an agreement with an online ticketing monopolist,” the letter reads. “We urge you to look into this deal to determine if any antitrust laws were broken and whether consumers were illegally denied the benefits of new competition in this market.”

A representative for Ticketmaster told Sportico that the agreement contains no antitrust issues, stating that it “simply provides” for Ticketmaster’s secondary tickets to be sold on Fanatics’ websites and apps. “The secondary ticketing market is extremely competitive,” the spokesperson said, referencing rivals such as StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats.

Fanatics declined to comment on the senators’ letter.

Partnership Details
Announced earlier this year, the Ticketmaster-Fanatics partnership involves two-way cross-selling: Ticketmaster resale tickets appear on the Fanatics platform, where buyers receive a 50% reduction in Ticketmaster service fees, and select Fanatics products are featured on Ticketmaster’s channels. Tucker Kain, Fanatics’ chief strategy and growth officer, said at the time that the move aimed to “build a bigger partnership over time.”

Critics say Fanatics, known for its dominance in licensed sports merchandise and recent expansions into trading cards and sports betting, might have invigorated the ticketing space as a true competitor. They argue that by joining forces with Ticketmaster, Fanatics could have inadvertently helped maintain Ticketmaster’s status as the primary gatekeeper for both primary and secondary ticketing.

Live Nation Under DOJ Scrutiny
Live Nation has long faced questions about its business practices. Last year, under then-President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland, the DOJ sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster in the Southern District of New York, alleging violations of antitrust law through the use of exclusive ticketing deals at major venues.

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The suit remains active in the administration of President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Live Nation has denied any wrongdoing, insisting its services benefit venues and consumers. The company points to its technology as “superior,” adding that many venues prefer an exclusive contract to maximize revenue.

In the ongoing litigation, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian last month denied Live Nation’s motion to dismiss the suit. He ruled that the DOJ and states had plausibly alleged the antitrust harm of tying—requiring artists or venues to use multiple services of one company if they want access to certain venues. This decision advanced the case into pretrial discovery.

What’s Next?
Klobuchar and Lee’s letter does not request that the DOJ sue Live Nation but urges the agency to examine whether this newly formed partnership undercuts potential competition and disadvantages consumers. For Live Nation and Fanatics, showing that the deal lowers or stabilizes prices—and expands consumer choice—would help defend against accusations of anticompetitive behavior.

Meanwhile, the Biden and now Trump administrations have both demonstrated a willingness to address resale and ticketing controversies. An executive order signed by President Trump two weeks ago instructed the Federal Trade Commission to bolster competition law enforcement for ticket sellers. Kid Rock attended the signing, underscoring growing political attention on ticketing issues.

MORE: Trump Targets Ticketing Industry With Executive Order

Fanatics, owned by Michael Rubin, is a privately held giant in sports merchandise, posting $8.1 billion in revenue in 2024. Its rapid expansion beyond apparel into trading cards, sports betting, and now ticketing suggests a strategy to become an all-in-one hub for sports fans. Whether teaming up with Ticketmaster will spark antitrust concerns or deliver the promised consumer benefits remains an open question—and one the Justice Department may soon seek to answer.