Report: UK Government To Ban Ticket Resale Above Face Value

The UK government is expected to announce a ban on ticket resale above face value this week, according to a Guardian report. The decision is expected to be announced Wednesday, Nov. 19. It follows a call from UK organizations and artists including Radiohead, Dua Lipa and Coldplay demanding that the UK government make good on its election promise of capping resale prices.

The promise was made during the UK’s most recent election campaign by Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour party, which won the July 4, 2024 general election, ending a 14-year Conservative rule.

See: Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Radiohead Among Artists Calling For UK Ticket Price Cap

In the beginning of this year, the UK government launched a secondary ticketing consultation, which ran between January and April. Among many other aspects, the consultation explored whether resellers should be allowed to add a markup on top of the original ticket price when placing the ticket on the secondary market.

Markups between 10% and 30% were floated by industry insiders as a potential allowance in recent months, but in the end politicians reportedly decided to ban above-face-value ticket resale outright.

Resale platforms will still be allowed to charge fees associated with the sale of a ticket on top of the face value price, but the ceiling on service fees has yet to be determined, the Guardian report states.

“The ban will also govern social media sites, which resale platforms have claimed would offer unregulated and potentially fraudulent tickets if legislation squeezes online ticket exchanges out of the market,” the report continues.

Other aspects of the ban: resellers won’t be allowed to sell more tickets than they could have procured under the original limit set by promoters/ticket agents; resale platforms will be held liable by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), if sellers using their site do not comply with UK law.

Live Nation Entertainment, parent company to Ticketmaster, issued a statement in support of the UK government’s plan to ban ticket resale above face value:

“Live Nation fully supports the UK government’s plan to ban ticket resale above face value. Ticketmaster already limits all resale in the UK to face value prices, and this is another major step forward for fans — cracking down on exploitative touting to help keep live events accessible. We encourage others around the world to adopt similar fan-first policies.”

The UK’s FanFair Alliance, the campaign group against industrial-scale online ticket touting, the Music Managers Forum, UK Music, and trade body LIVE, have all voiced their support for a price cap on ticket resale in the past.

See: UK Biz Renews Call For Ticket Resale Price Cap In Light Of ‘Damning Evidence’

The biggest secondary sites have been campaigning against resale restrictions, fearing it will cut into their profits and drive the resale market into unregulated online spheres.

A statement from a viagogo spokesperson shared in anticipation of the UK government’s expected decision reads: “We acknowledge the government’s announcement today which is part of a long, multi-year process, not a final outcome. Evidence shows price caps have repeatedly failed fans, in countries like Ireland and Australia fraud rates are nearly four times higher than in the UK as price caps push consumers towards unregulated sites.

“The solution is open distribution: connecting primary and resale platforms to verify tickets. This allows the sharing of critical information to identify illegal bot activity and eliminate fraud. Opening the market to greater competition also helps drive prices down, benefiting fans.”

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