The government will go ahead with the proposal to ban the resale of tickets for profit.
As previously reported by Music Week, there had been a consultation on ticketing which included a proposal to introduce a price cap in the secondary market. The move would essentially remove the potential for profit and effectively cut out touts who sell for inflated prices via secondary ticketing platforms.
Ministers are set to announce the plans on Wednesday (November 19) in an effort to tackle the scalpers and resale sites. The news, including a report by the FT, has come out ahead of the official statement.
Acting on ticket touts was included in the Labour manifesto last year. Last month, Ian Murray, Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Arts, said it would go ahead.
The latest move follows a call last week from dozens of artists – including Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Sam Fender – for the government to push ahead and enact its proposed price cap. The policy mirrors legislation in Ireland, where resale for profit has been banned.
The original consultation set out proposals where the price cap could be up to 30%. But according to reports, the government has decided to go for the most stringent measures with a cap set at the face value.
Secondary ticketing platforms will have a legal duty to monitor and enforce the new regulations. Individuals will be banned from reselling more tickets than they were permitted to buy in the initial ticket sale.
"Ticket touting has become increasingly sophisticated in recent years," said a DCMS statement reported by the BBC. "Touts buy large volumes of tickets online, often using automated bots, before relisting them on resale platforms at hugely inflated prices. This has caused misery for millions of fans and damaged the live events industry.
"The new laws will stamp out this practice, improving access for genuine fans when tickets originally go on sale and ending rip-off pricing on the resale market."
It is not yet clear when the new legislation will be introduced in Parliament. But the plans have been welcomed.
“Live Nation fully supports the UK government’s plan to ban ticket resale above face value," said a statement from Live Nation/Ticketmaster. "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.”
Richard Davies, founder of face-value ticket resale platform Twickets, said: “We fully support the government’s plans to ban ticket resale above face value. For too long, fans have been exploited by industrial-scale touting that drives up prices, damages trust and locks genuine supporters out of the events they love.
“This is a landmark moment for consumer protection in live entertainment, and one that artists, industry bodies and fans have been calling for over many years. Everyday ordinary people are priced out while commercial resellers are bulk-buying to resell at hugely inflated prices."
For too long, fans have been exploited by industrial-scale touting that drives up prices, damages trust and locks genuine supporters out of the events they love
Richard Davies
He added: “Twickets was built on the simple principle that tickets should be resold fairly and at face value. These proposals would finally draw a line under the profiteering that has plagued the industry, and we welcome any measures that help ensure tickets go to real fans, not ticket traders who treat tickets as a commodity instead of a cultural experience.
"We look forward to working with ministers and the wider industry in 2026 to help make these reforms a success and create a healthier, more transparent ticketing ecosystem for everyone.”
In a statement on the price cap proposal, Viagogo said: "The ticketing industry requires reforms guided by evidence - not opinions - to ensure they truly protect fans. Evidence shows price caps have repeatedly failed fans, in countries like Ireland and Australia, they’ve pushed consumers towards social media and unregulated sites, where fraud rates are nearly four times higher than in the UK."
In separate news, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced a major package of action covering online pricing practices, including drip pricing and pressure selling. The enforcement comes under the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA).
The CMA has opened investigations into businesses that it has reason to suspect have infringed consumer law in relation to their use of fees, use of misleading time-limited offers and/or the practice of automatically opting consumers in for optional charges.
Secondary ticketing sites StubHub and Viagogo are among eight firms being investigated.
Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said: “It’s our job to protect consumers from misleading prices and illegal pressure selling and today marks an important milestone as we take action across the economy to make sure businesses do the right thing by their customers.
“Since the launch of the new regime, we’ve been working hard to help businesses understand the law. But alongside supporting businesses to comply, we’ve always been clear that we will take swift action where we suspect potentially serious breaches of the law.
PHOTO: Gregor Fischer/Redferns for ABA
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