The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says it is “preparing to litigate” against Ticketmaster after failing to reach agreement with the ticketing giant over concerns that fans were misled during last year’s frenzied onsale for the Oasis reunion tour.
In a letter published Wednesday and sent to Parliament’s Business and Trade Committee, the watchdog said there remains a “fundamental disagreement” with Ticketmaster about whether the company’s practices violated consumer-protection laws. The agency now plans to ready court proceedings while continuing to seek a voluntary resolution should Ticketmaster “indicate a clear and timely commitment to do so.”
Oasis Tour Ticket Sales Mess Triggered the CMA’s Inquiry
The CMA opened its probe in September 2024 after receiving a wave of complaints from fans who said pricing for Oasis shows was unclear and, in many cases, far higher than expected. More than 14 million people attempted to buy tickets when they went on sale in August, resulting in lengthy virtual queues and widespread confusion.
Investigators focused on two issues:
- “Platinum” tickets — seats marketed as premium but priced up to 2.5 times higher than standard tickets despite offering no additional benefits and often being located in the same sections.
- Dual-price standing tickets — a cheaper tier that sold out quickly, followed by more expensive standing passes released without clear notice to fans still waiting in the queue.
While the CMA said it found no evidence that Ticketmaster used real-time dynamic pricing for the onsale, it concluded that many customers “were not given clear and timely information about how the pricing of tickets would work,” leaving them to make split-second decisions on whether to pay more than anticipated.
Ticketmaster made some changes to its onsale disclosures earlier this year, but the CMA deemed them insufficient and asked the company to offer formal undertakings to address the remaining concerns. The company declined.
A bruising day for Live Nation/Ticketmaster in London
The dispute spilled into public view last week when Live Nation touring chief Phil Bowdery and Ticketmaster U.K. managing director Andrew Parsons appeared—15 minutes late—before the Business and Trade Committee’s “Rip-off Britain” inquiry. Lawmakers pressed the executives on market dominance, the Oasis onsale and whether the firm uses algorithmic pricing akin to airlines and hotels.
Further Reading: “Red-faced and sweaty” Live Nation executives face CMA legal action over Oasis tickets (CMU)
Parsons repeated his earlier claim that Ticketmaster does not employ dynamic pricing in Britain. Committee members countered with the company’s own terms and conditions, which until recently stated that ticket prices could “increase or decrease at any time, based on demand,” language the CMA says fueled fan confusion.
Potential penalties
Should the case proceed to court under Part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2002, Ticketmaster could face an injunction forcing structural changes to its sales practices, financial penalties for non-compliance, and reputational damage at a time when the company is already under antitrust fire in the United States.
The CMA’s action also lands as U.K. lawmakers debate proposals to cap resale markups at face value—or no more than 30 percent—aimed at curbing “ticket tout” activity. Separately, the U.S. Department of Justice is pursuing an antitrust lawsuit seeking to unwind the 2010 merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
What’s next
The CMA emphasized that litigation remains a “last resort” and that talks could still produce a negotiated settlement. For that to happen, Ticketmaster would need to offer undertakings—such as clearer price disclosures, limits on premium tiers, or longer decision windows for buyers—that satisfy the regulator’s concerns.
Ticketmaster has not publicly commented on the latest escalation, but the company has historically preferred to settle rather than battle regulators in court – evidenced by its settlement with the DOJ in 2019 over allegations it violated its consent decree regarding anticompetitive conduct with U.S. regulators, or its buying its way out of trouble when executives with the company were found to have illegally accessed a competitors internal systems while it was (successfully) attempting to drive that company out of business.
FURTHER READING: Ticketmaster avoids hacking prosecution by paying $10 million fine
| Former Ticketmaster executive sentenced after hacking trial |
| Evidence shows how seriously Live Nation took threat to business model posed by Songkick |
Continued alleged violations of that same consent decree at question in the 2019 settlement form the core of the massive antitrust lawsuit the ticketing giant continues to face, though it appears to be working hard to cosy up to the current presdential administration in hopes of getting that case shut down rather than facing it in court.
FURTHER READING: Live Nation venue PR blitz a “cynical play at executive branch sympathy”
| Live Nation contributed $500,000 to Trump Inaugural Committee |
| Live Nation executives express confidence that Trump administration won’t pursue antitust case |
| Trump ally Richard Grenell joins Live Nation board amid antitrust Scrutiny |
With Oasis set to kick off its 41-date reunion tour Friday in Cardiff, the CMA’s findings serve as a cautionary tale for promoters heading into a busy festival and stadium season: transparency and timing matter, especially when demand runs hot. For Ticketmaster, the showdown adds yet another front in a growing list of regulatory challenges on both sides of the Atlantic.
