Ticketmaster promises regulator that people can sell their tickets on another platform

People who have bought a ticket from Ticketmaster and want to get rid of it can now sell it via a different resale platform. This was a promise made by the ticket sales company to The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). The ACM started an investigation after claiming that Ticketmaster was obstructing customers from selling their tickets via a platform different from Ticketmaster. These obstructions were removed during the investigation, the regulator reported on Wednesday.

The investigation started after it was discovered that mobile tickets could only be sold via Ticketmaster’s own transfer system. The ACM then looked into the terms that the company set regarding ticket sales.

The market regulator was concerned that other sell-on companies would fall behind due to this. The ACM explained that insufficient competition in the resale field would lead to higher costs, worse terms, and worse services for customers.

Ticketmaster made commitments to address those concerns. “These commitments ensure that other platforms can compete for the resale of the mobile tickets of Ticketmaster,” ACM chair Martijn Snoep added. “This is good for competition and therefore good for the consumer.”

ACM will monitor whether the company is following through on its promises. The regulator also wants to make this binding, which would then lead to the investigation being closed indefinitely.