Ticketmaster may have broken consumer protection law in the way it sold Oasis reunion tickets.

Ticketmaster has been told to change the way it labels and prices tickets after an investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found the company may have misled consumers when selling tickets for Oasis’s highly anticipated reunion tour.

The CMA’s investigation, launched in September last year, revealed concerns that Ticketmaster may have “breached consumer protection law” by selling tickets at inflated prices without providing clear information to fans. The watchdog stated that some seated tickets were labelled as “platinum” and sold for almost 2.5 times the price of equivalent standard tickets, despite offering no extra benefits and often being located in the same sections of the venue.

“We’re concerned that Oasis fans didn’t get the information they needed or may have been misled into buying tickets they thought were better than they were,” said Hayley Fletcher, Interim Senior Director of Consumer Protection at the CMA.

There was uproar over the use of dynamic pricing for the Oasis reunion, however, the CMA’s investigation has found little evidence of the use of an “algorithmic” pricing model by Ticketmaster. Instead, the company sold a portion of standing tickets at a lower price before releasing the remaining ones at significantly higher rates. “Although prices were not adjusted in real time using an algorithm, the CMA is concerned that consumers were not given clear and timely information about how the pricing of standing tickets would work,” the regulator stated.

Ticketmaster has made some adjustments to its ticketing process following the investigation, but the CMA said these changes do not go far enough to address their concerns. The regulator is now in consultation with the company to implement further measures to ensure consumers receive accurate and transparent pricing information before purchasing tickets.

“We now expect Ticketmaster to work with us to address these concerns so, in future, fans can make well-informed decisions when buying tickets,” Fletcher added. “All ticketing websites should check they are complying with the law and treating their customers fairly. When businesses get it right, consumers benefit – and that’s the best outcome for everyone.”

In response, Ticketmaster stated: “At Ticketmaster, we strive to provide the best ticketing platform through a simple, transparent and consumer-friendly experience. We welcome the CMA’s input in helping make the industry even better for fans.”

The investigation follows widespread frustration among Oasis fans, with over 10 million people reportedly queuing for tickets when they went on sale. The band distanced itself from Ticketmaster’s pricing strategy, stating: “It needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management, and at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used.”

The CMA’s move comes ahead of new consumer powers set to take effect on April 6, 2025, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. These new regulations will allow the watchdog to determine breaches of consumer law without needing to go to court, and it will have the authority to fine companies up to 10% of their annual turnover for violations. Additionally, these findings come just days after the CMA announced its backing of the UK government’s proposal to introduce a price cap on ticket resales, a move that could significantly impact the secondary ticketing market.

As scrutiny over ticket pricing continues to grow, the outcome of this CMA consultation could have significant implications for the future of ticket sales in the UK – ideally for the better for consumers.

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