Live Nation Under Siege: CMA Secures Ticket Pricing Transparency as DOJ Antitrust Battle Looms
London, 24 January 2026 – Live Nation Entertainment, the global live entertainment behemoth, is navigating a perfect storm of regulatory and legal challenges. In the United Kingdom, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has successfully concluded a major consumer protection investigation, securing legally binding undertakings from Ticketmaster to overhaul its ticket sales process. This action comes as the company faces a historic antitrust lawsuit in the United States, spearheaded by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and 29 state attorneys general.
UK Regulator Forces Ticketmaster to Reform Oasis Sale Practices
The CMA’s investigation, launched in September 2024, focused on consumer complaints regarding the sale of tickets for the “Oasis Live ’25 Tour”. The regulator announced on 25 September 2025 that Ticketmaster had agreed to legally binding undertakings designed to improve transparency in its ticket sales processes.
The commitments stem from the CMA’s investigation into Ticketmaster’s sale of tickets to the “Oasis Live ’25 Tour”, which was launched following consumer complaints about their purchasing experience. The CMA set out to consider, among other things, whether people were given clear information about any algorithmic “dynamic pricing” (where prices adjust automatically in response to demand), and whether people were put under pressure to buy tickets within a short period of time at higher prices than they had expected.
In a March 2025 progress update the CMA said that Ticketmaster did not use dynamic pricing, but it nonetheless had other concerns and was consulting with Ticketmaster on changes to its practices. Specifically, the CMA considered that Ticketmaster may have breached consumer protection law by:
| Key CMA Findings | Ticketmaster’s Commitments |
|---|---|
| Marketing “platinum” seats at up to 2.5 times standard prices without clarifying they offered no extra benefits. | Provide fans with 24 hours’ notice if a tiered pricing system is being used. |
| Failing to inform consumers that standing tickets were sold in two price tiers. | Provide more price information during online queues. |
| Leaving fans queuing for a long time without knowing the final price. | Ensure that ticket labels are accurate and not misleading. |
US Department of Justice Pursues Breakup of Live Nation Monopoly
Across the Atlantic, the legal pressure on Live Nation Entertainment is intensifying. On 23 May 2024, the DOJ and a coalition of 29 states formally launched an antitrust suit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The lawsuit contends that Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, abused its unrivaled power in the concert and ticketing industry to eliminate competition, lessening consumer choice and resulting in rising prices.
The DOJ’s lawsuit seeks to break up Live Nation, alleging that the company has illegally monopolized the live entertainment industry for years. The case is expected to be a protracted legal battle, with potential ramifications for the entire live events sector.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the CMA investigation into Ticketmaster find?
The investigation found that Ticketmaster failed to tell fans in lengthy queues for the Oasis reunion tour that standing tickets were available at two different prices and that the cost would rise once the cheaper tickets sold out. It also revealed that Ticketmaster sold some ‘platinum’ tickets at almost two and a half times the price of ‘standard’ tickets, without sufficient explanation that these offered no additional benefits in the same areas of the venue.
What changes has Ticketmaster agreed to implement?
Ticketmaster’s voluntary commitments require it to: provide fans with 24 hours’ notice if a tiered pricing system is being used; provide more price information during online queues; and ensure that ticket labels are accurate and do not give the impression that some tickets are better than others when this is not the case.
How does this relate to the separate DOJ antitrust lawsuit?
While the CMA’s action is a consumer protection case focused on pricing transparency, the DOJ’s lawsuit is a broader antitrust case alleging that Live Nation has illegally monopolised the live entertainment industry. The two cases are legally distinct but form part of a wider regulatory and political scrutiny of Live Nation’s market dominance.