Ticketmaster to boost price transparency in UK after CMA Oasis probe

Ticketmaster has agreed to a series of changes to how it sells concert tickets in the United Kingdom after a Competition and Markets Authority investigation into the company’s handling of Oasis ticket sales in 2024. Under formal commitments secured by the regulator, fans joining online queues will be shown the range of prices for an event, will receive regular updates when cheaper tickets sell out, and buyers will be told at least 24 hours before a sale if a tiered pricing system will be used and what that means.

The CMA said the undertakings are intended to ensure customers get clear, accurate information when they spend money on tickets. The regulator’s probe of the Oasis sales found that fans waiting in lengthy queues were not informed that standing tickets were being sold at two different prices and that prices would rise once the cheapest tickets were exhausted. The CMA also identified instances in which platinum tickets were offered at almost two and a half times the price of standard tickets without sufficient explanation that those higher-priced seats carried no additional benefits in the same areas of the venue.

CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said fans who spend...