Ticketmaster has reached an agreement with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to overhaul its ticket selling procedures following an investigation into the controversial Oasis reunion tour sales.
The ticketing giant will implement reforms including providing customers with 24 hours' advance warning when tiered pricing systems are used and delivering clearer price information whilst fans wait in online queues.
The CMA launched its probe after extensive complaints about the August ticket sale, which saw more than 900,000 tickets sold through the platform.
The investigation identified two primary issues.
There were inadequate disclosure to customers waiting in lengthy queues that tickets were available at different price points, and the sale of "platinum" tickets at 2.5 times standard prices without offering any extra benefits.
The watchdog found that Ticketmaster marketed certain seated tickets as "platinum" and charged almost two and a half times more than comparable standard seats, despite providing identical experiences.
This practice risked misleading consumers into believing premium-labelled tickets offered superior value.
The CMA also concluded that Ticketmaster failed to notify fans that standing tickets were being offered in two separate price categories.
The CMA found two areas of concern in how Ticketmaster sold tickets to the long-anticipated concerts
|GETTY
Customers queuing online received no warning that cheaper options might become unavailable, leaving them facing significantly higher costs once they reached the front of the virtual queue.
Initial concerns centred on "dynamic pricing", an algorithmic system that adjusts costs in real time based on demand.
However, the CMA found no evidence this system was used during the Oasis sale.
The formal undertakings secured by the CMA require Ticketmaster to inform customers at least 24 hours before sales commence if multiple price tiers will be used for the same ticket types.
The CMA has launched an investigation into Ticketmaster | PA The company must also display more comprehensive pricing details whilst fans queue online, enabling them to better anticipate costs before reaching the purchase stage.
Additionally, Ticketmaster has committed to eliminating misleading ticket descriptions that suggest certain seats offer enhanced value when they provide identical experiences to cheaper alternatives.
Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority, said: "Fans who spend their hard-earned money to see artists they love deserve to see clear, accurate information, upfront."
Ticketmaster must submit regular compliance reports to the CMA for the next two years and faces enforcement action if it breaches these commitments.
The controversy erupted when fans discovered they were paying up to £355 for tickets initially advertised at £148 during the reunion tour sale.
Thousands of supporters spent hours in virtual queues only to find affordable options had vanished by the time they could purchase, forcing them to pay inflated prices or abandon their attempts entirely.
The pricing disparities prompted widespread anger on social media and triggered the CMA investigation.
Many fans expressed frustration at the lack of transparency, particularly as they had no indication whilst queuing that ticket prices would surge so dramatically.
Wembley was one of the stadiums that hosted the tour
| GETTYThe undertakings Ticketmaster has provided to the CMA are voluntary and include no admission of wrongdoing or liability.
The CMA's new consumer protection powers, introduced in April 2025, enable the regulator to impose fines of up to 10 per cent of a company's annual turnover for breaches of consumer law.
However, these penalties cannot be applied retrospectively to the Oasis sale.
Ticketmaster has already ceased using "platinum" labels in the UK market, separate from its formal undertakings to the watchdog.