The British government will ban the resale of tickets for concerts, shows and sporting events at inflated prices, aiming to curb modern touting techniques that use technology to turn a profit, a government minister said on Tuesday.
“We are committed to ending the scandal of ticket touts,” Housing Minister Steven Reed told BBC News, adding ministers would publish more detailed plans in the coming days. He said the measures target modern touting that forces fans to pay “through the nose” for popular events. The government first raised concerns about so‑called “dynamic pricing” last year.
Investors reacted to early reports: shares in US company StubHub, which owns reselling giant Viagogo, fell about 14% on Monday after media reports of a possible ban.
Automated purchases and resale for predictable sell-outs
Tickets for major festivals such as Glastonbury and for high-demand tours — Taylor Swift, Oasis or Radiohead among them — often sell out online within minutes and then appear almost immediately on resale sites at inflated prices. Touts use automated programs, or “bots,” to bypass queues and bulk-buy tickets.
One example in resale listings: standing tickets for Radiohead’s London show originally priced at £85 were listed on Viagogo for around £682.
Who benefits — and artists’ call for action
Artists do not share in those mark-ups; profits go to original buyers and resale platforms, which also charge buying and selling fees. Radiohead, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Iron Maiden, PJ Harvey and Mark Knopfler were among artists who published an open letter in Which? magazine urging the UK government to tackle “the extortionate and pernicious secondary ticketing market.” They asked for the measures to be included in the next King’s Speech outlining government policy for 2026.
“For too long certain resale platforms have allowed touts to bulk buy and then resell tickets at inflated prices, forcing fans to either pay above the odds or miss out entirely,” the artists wrote, calling for a resale price cap to limit how lucrative the business can be.
New York mayor‑elect Zohran Mamdani also highlighted predatory ticket practices with a view to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, where venues including New York will host matches.
Industry response and possible limits
Viagogo criticized the UK reports, warning a ban or strict caps could push consumers toward illegal secondary markets and increase fraud. The company suggested a verified ticket system and argued price caps have failed elsewhere. “Evidence shows price caps have repeatedly failed fans,” a spokesperson said, claiming fraud rates in countries with caps, such as Ireland and Australia, are higher than in the UK. Viagogo recommended opening markets to greater competition to drive prices down.
UK media have reported possible details of the government’s plans: a cap around 30% above face value, or, according to The Guardian, a complete ban on selling above face value plus limits on resale platform fees. Labour MP Chris Bryant said the party’s manifesto committed to tackling abuses in the secondary ticket market and that ministers were deciding “how to act and what action to take.”
Regulatory probe
Separately, Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday it had opened investigations into pricing practices and mandatory additional charges on a number of online platforms, including StubHub and Viagogo.
Edited by: Wesley Rahn
