UK Launches Probe Into Ticketmaster Over Oasis Ticket Sales

Ticketmaster tickets and gift cards at a box office in San Jose, Calif., on May 11, 2009. Paul Sakuma/AP Photo

Ticketmaster is under investigation in the UK over the alleged mishandling of ticket sales for the Oasis 2025 reunion tour.

In a Sept. 5 statement, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced the watchdog would be looking into the use of “dynamic pricing” on ticket sales and other issues fans have faced on the site.

The CMA is questioning whether Ticketmaster—which merged with Live Nation Entertainment in 2010—violated consumer protection law when using the pricing strategy.

Prices are typically adjusted on the site due to consumer demand or changing market conditions. This strategy is commonly used in flight sales or home food deliveries, surging average costs.

More than 1 million tickets were sold over the weekend after the popular 1990s-era British rock group announced its long-anticipated UK and Ireland tour, marking the band’s first shows in 16 years.

Many fans reportedly complained of lengthy wait times as well as fluctuating ticket prices. For example, standard tickets were selling for 355 pounds ($470) compared to the anticipated 148 pounds ($195).

A number of factors will be considered in the investigation, such as whether people were given clear information regarding dynamic pricing or if they were pressured to make a purchase within a specific time frame, potentially affecting their decision.

The CMA will also consider whether Ticketmaster knowingly engaged in unfair commercial practices. The authority called on fans and other sources to submit evidence related to the matter.

Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said that while investigators do not automatically assume the company broke consumer protection law, it is important that ticket sale sites are “transparent in their dealings with consumers.”

“It’s important that fans are treated fairly when they buy tickets, which is why we’ve launched this investigation. It’s clear that many people felt they had a bad experience and were surprised by the price of their tickets at check-out,” Cardell said in the authority’s press statement.

In a similar incident in the United States, the Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Live Nation in May over alleged monopolistic practices during ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour.” In 2023, fans of the singer filed a class action lawsuit against the company after they were unable to obtain tickets when the website crashed as a result of Ticketmaster’s allegedly holding a large monopoly over ticket sales.

The DOJ further accused the company of unlawful and uncompetitive conduct, saying Ticketmaster controls more than 70 percent of concert ticket sales and locks out competition.

Oasis will be kicking off its comeback tour on July 4, 2025, at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, and will run shows through the end of September.

“This is it, this is happening,” the band wrote on Instagram.

In an email response to The Epoch Times’s request for comment, a Ticketmaster spokesperson said the company is committed to cooperating with the CMA and “look forward to sharing more facts about the ticket sale with them.”

CMA did not respond before publication time.