Consumer Groups Say No To Merger

A handful of public interest groups have joined forces to request that the U.S. Department of Justice block the pending Live Nation / Ticketmaster Entertainment merger, calling the possibility a “disaster for consumers.”

Officials from organizations including the National Consumers League, the American Antitrust Institute and Consumer Federation of America have dismissed attempts to bring Comcast into the merger negotiations as “laughable.”

“We all know the saying, ‘If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.’ That is exactly what Ticketmaster and Live Nation are attempting to do,” NCL executive director Sally Greenberg said in a statement. “Were this merger to be allowed to proceed, it would kill even the modicum of competition that currently exists between the two companies.

“Time and time again Ticketmaster has shown it won’t accept any competitive players on its turf. By bringing in Comcast, Ticketmaster is simply pulling one more competitor off the field.”