Don't Look Back In Anger: Ticketmaster Promises Transparency After CMA Investigation Into Oasis Tour Sales

Fans will soon have clearer, fairer access to live event tickets following action by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority ("CMA").

In its press release on 25 September 2025, the CMA announced that it has secured formal commitments (also known as undertakings) from Ticketmaster to improve transparency around ticket pricing and descriptions.

The move follows widespread criticism of how tickets were sold for the Oasis Live '25 tour, where fans raised concerns about unclear pricing and a lack of meaningful information during the online sales process.

What prompted the CMA's investigation?

The CMA launched its investigation in response to concerns that Ticketmaster failed to provide sufficient information to customers during the sale of Oasis tickets. Two key issues were identified.

First, Ticketmaster did not inform fans that standing tickets were being sold at two different price points. As soon as the cheaper tickets sold out, only more expensive tickets remained, yet customers were not made aware of this while waiting in online queues.

Second, Ticketmaster marketed some tickets as 'platinum', charging nearly two and a half times the price of standard tickets in the same area of the venue. However, there was no clear explanation of what additional benefits, if any, these premium-priced tickets offered.

What changes are being introduced?

As a result of the CMA's action, Ticketmaster has agreed to a series of legally binding undertakings. These include:

• Advance notice of tiered pricing: Ticketmaster must notify fans at least 24 hours before tickets go on sale if a tiered pricing structure will be used. This ensures fans are aware that tickets of the same type may be sold at different prices.
• Clearer price ranges in queues: Fans will be informed of the full price range for available tickets when they join an online queue. As cheaper tickets sell out, real-time updates must be provided so customers can make informed decisions about whether to continue.
• No misleading ticket descriptions: Ticketmaster must ensure that labels such as 'platinum' or 'standard' accurately reflect any differences in value or benefits. Fans should not be led to believe one ticket is superior when it is not.
• Ongoing compliance reporting: Over the next two years, Ticketmaster is required to provide regular reports to the CMA to demonstrate how it is complying with the undertakings. Failure to meet these commitments could result in enforcement action.

These reforms aim to provide customers with the clarity they need when purchasing tickets for high-demand events, particularly where multiple pricing models and online queues are in play.

Although Ticketmaster has voluntarily agreed to these undertakings without admitting wrongdoing or liability, the implications for the wider ticketing industry are significant. This is a clear signal that regulators expect greater transparency from ticketing platforms, particularly as more events move to digital-first sales.

An important point to note is that the CMA found no evidence of 'dynamic pricing' (a pricing model where prices are adjusted in real-time according to demand), which initially there had been concerns about.

Legal and commercial implications

UK consumer protection law contains rules that exist to protect consumers against commercial practices which are misleading or unfair. An example of misleading commercial practice can include where a trader materially misleads consumers in relation to the price of goods and services, if that causes the average consumer to take a different transactional decision i.e. the decision they take to buy or not buy a particular good or service. This includes, for example, where information presented to consumers is false, or presented in a way that deceives the average consumer. Another example could be if material information is left out or hidden.

The case here highlights the growing importance of real-time consumer transparency, particularly in digital environments where purchasing decisions are made quickly and often under pressure.

For businesses, the message is simple. Where pricing structures are complex or time-sensitive, clear and accessible explanations must be provided at every stage of the customer journey. Consumers must be given timely, transparent pricing information and accurate descriptions of what they are purchasing, particularly where multiple pricing tiers and online queues are involved. Compliance with consumer law is not a matter of back-end policies but of user-facing practices.

Under the new enforcement powers introduced in April 2025, the CMA can now impose direct penalties of up to 10 per cent of a company's global turnover for breaches of consumer law. These powers do not apply retrospectively (so they were not used in this case), however, they represent a significant change in the UK's consumer protection landscape.

Ticketmaster's undertakings mark a positive step for fans and set a new standard for fairness and transparency in ticket sales. As the live events industry continues to grow, so too does the expectation that businesses will treat customers fairly, especially when demand is high and tickets are limited.

The CMA's action sends a clear message: fans have a right to know what they are paying for, and companies have a duty to tell them. The CMA has made it clear that it recognises the significance of live events to fans, and it intends to maintain scrutiny of ticketing practices as part of its ongoing consumer protection work.

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