Ticketmaster may have “breached” the law during Oasis Live ’25 tour sale, CMA says
Ticketmaster may have “breached” the law when selling tickets for Oasis’ upcoming 2025 tour, The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said.
The ticketing platform has been under investigation by the industry watchdog, following from outcry users who attempted to snap up The Manchester band’s reunion last year. According to the BBC, buyers reported being asked to pay £350 for tickets with a face value of £150 — 2.5x the asking price.
In an update to the investigation published today (March 25), the CMA shared “concerns” that Ticketmaster may have violated consumer protection law by offering seated tickets without any additional benefits to general sale as “platinum.”
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Despite widespread reports of “dynamic pricing”, the CMA has said that it did not find evidence of any “algorithmic pricing model” during its investigation, and insists tickets were not adjusted due to high demand — instead, the CMA claims Ticketmaster may have misled buyers due to selling standing tickets for the 14-date tour in two different categories — allowing the “cheaper” to sell before putting the more expensive standing option on sale.
Ticketmaster’s UK head Andrew Parsons had told a select committee hearing last year that the platform was “not responsible” for tickets prices, claiming that “prices are set in advance with event organisers and their teams at the prices that they want them to be made available,” and that the platform “doesn’t change prices in any automated or algorithmic way.”
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Hayley Fletcher, Interim Senior Director of Consumer Protection, says: “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. We now expect Ticketmaster to work with us to address these concerns so, in future, fans can make well-informed decisions when buying tickets.”
“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,” she continued.
Mixmag has contacted representatives for Ticketmaster for comment.
Megan Townsend is Mixmag’s Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter
