The Government are expected to announce plans tomorrow (19) banning reselling tickets to live events for a profit in a bid to crackdown on ticket touts and resale sites.
Tackling ticket touts was one of the Labour government’s pre-election pledges, as fans complained of massively inflated prices for resale tickets for music and sporting events.
According to analysis by the Competition and Market Authority (CMA), tickets sold on the resale market are typically marked up by more than 50%.
New research from Which? Magazine found that some tickets to see the Oasis reunion at Wembley Stadium over the summer were listed for as much as £4,442.
The move is now expected to be announced on Wednesday and comes after an open letter by some of the biggest names in music. In the letter dozens of artists including Sam Fender, Dua Lipa and Coldplay urged Sir Keir Starmer to protect fans from exploitation.
Other signatories included consumer watchdog Which? the Football Supporters’ Association and groups representing the music and theatre industries, venues, and ticket retailers.
A recent consultation on the changes had canvassed views on capping costs at up to 30% above the face value of a ticket, but ministers are now expected to set the limit at face value, although some fees could still be charged on top of the original ticket price.
Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at Which?, said the move would be “great news for music and sports fans”, adding the plan would “rein in professional touts and put tickets back in the hands of real fans”.
Ticketmaster’s parent company Live Nation Entertainment said it already limits resale in the UK to face value prices and described the reported plan as “another major step forward for fans”.
Resale sites like Viagogo and Stubhub have previously claimed that a price cap could push customers towards unregulated sites and social media, putting them at increased risk of fraud.
The government declined to comment on the reports.
