Competition and Markets Authority head Sarah Cardell. Photo Credit: CMA
That not-so-subtle update comes from the CMA itself, which in September 2024 kicked off a consumer-protection probe into the Live Nation subsidiary. This investigation, the competition watchdog spelled out at the time, was set in motion by concerns regarding the sale of Oasis concert tickets by Ticketmaster.
And those concerns followed more than a little fan criticism pertaining to the acts comeback-tour tickets.
(Like in the U.S., the public mood across the pond is less than ideal for ticketing companies. The BBC has now put out multiple investigative pieces about ticket touts, and the government is weighing a price cap on resale passes.)
Fast forward to March 2025, when the CMA formally accused Ticketmaster of misleading Oasis fans and demanded several operational changes as a result. Long story short, the qualms center not on the much-discussed Dynamic Pricing, but on alleged misrepresentations about platinum and standing passes.
Though Ticketmaster made changes to some aspects of its ticket sales process, per the CMA, the adjustments evidently didnt go far enough. Besides consulting with the CMA on these changes, the platform provided a formal response last month.
Having carefully considered Ticketmasters response, the competition watchdogs new update reads, the CMAs view is that there is fundamental disagreement between the CMA and Ticketmaster about whether Ticketmasters practices infringed consumer law.
Will this fundamental disagreement fuel an ugly legal battle? Possibly; the CMA is now preparing to litigate the matter if necessary, the text drives home. Nevertheless, the entity also made a point of leaving the door open for a resolution.
Specifically, the CMA will continue to engage with Ticketmaster in an effort to secure a voluntary resolution, should it indicate a clear and timely commitment to do so.
It remains to be seen whether an agreement comes to fruition here; DMN reached out to Ticketmaster U.K. but, bearing in mind the time-zone difference, didnt immediately receive a response.
In the bigger picture, the CMA probe represents the tip of the regulatory-obstacle iceberg for Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
Most pressingly, this refers to the Justice Departments ongoing antitrust litigation. But there have also been rumblings of a stateside criminal antitrust probe targeting Live Nation as well as AEG on top of a DOJ and FTC inquiry exploring unfair and anticompetitive practices in live ticketing.
The latter technically extends to the wider ticketing landscape, not solely Live Nation/Ticketmaster. Ahead of a July 7th cutoff for public comments, however, more than a few of the current submissions involve firmly worded Ticketmaster complaints, the docket shows.
