UK regulator orders Ticketmaster to improve price information after Oasis tickets dispute

Ticketmaster has agreed with the UK Competition and Markets Authority to provide fans with clearer upfront price information and to publish more details about pricing during online queues, after complaints over Oasis’s reunion tour. The CMA said the company will warn customers 24 hours in advance if a tiered pricing system is used for standing tickets and will disclose price information during online queues, so fans can better anticipate costs as tickets go on sale.

The CMA said it had not found evidence that algorithmic or real-time dynamic pricing was used to adjust ticket prices during the Oasis sale, but it said the event highlighted concerns about how prices are displayed and labeled. In the Oasis case, Platinum tickets sold for almost two and a half times the standard price, yet the CMA noted that the higher price did not come with additional benefits, and consumers were not given a clear explanation for the markup. The regulator said such labeling should not create the impression that one ticket is superior to another when that is not the case.

Under the settlement, Ticketmaster will also have to improve price labeling to ensure consumers are not misled about the value of different tickets and will report regularly to the CMA over the next two years to demonstrate ongoing compliance. The CMA’s action aims to give fans more transparency about what they are paying for and reduce the likelihood of surprise costs in the online queue and at checkout.

"Fans who spend their hard-earned money to see artists they love deserve to see clear, accurate information upfront," CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said. "If Ticketmaster fails to deliver on these changes, we won’t hesitate to take further action."

A Ticketmaster spokesperson welcomed the CMA’s confirmation that there was no dynamic pricing or unfair practices and said the company had not breached consumer law. "To further improve the customer experience, we’ve voluntarily committed to clearer communication about ticket prices in queues. This builds on our capped resale, strong bot protection, and clear pricing displays—and we encourage the CMA to hold the entire industry to these same standards," the spokesperson said.

The CMA noted that the changes require ongoing oversight, with regular progress reporting over the next two years to ensure compliance. The regulator has signaled that failure to adhere to the new measures could prompt additional action. The Oasis episode underscored broader concerns about ticketing markets and pricing transparency, prompting the CMA to tighten scrutiny of how major platforms present costs and values to consumers. The authority did not specify whether further investigations into other ticketing practices would follow, but said the decision would apply to Ticketmaster’s operations in the UK market going forward.

Industry observers said the outcome could set a precedent for how ticketing platforms label pricing tiers and disclose price information during high-demand sales. The nuance between upfront price labeling and what a consumer pays in a queue or at checkout remains a focal point as regulators weigh the balance between dynamic market efficiency and consumer clarity. Ticketmaster’s commitments also come as the company and its parent groups face ongoing pressure to demonstrate consumer protections, bot safeguards, and transparent pricing across events and markets. The CMA stressed that the changes apply to all future Oasis ticket sales and broader practices that could affect price transparency for consumers in the United Kingdom.