Secondary Ticketing Review Announced

The Government has announced that economist Professor Michael Waterson will Chair the upcoming review of the secondary ticketing market.

The review, originally scheduled to take place over the summer, is finally taking place, with Waterson consulting a wide range of stakeholders as part of the review process, including event organisers, primary ticket sellers, the resale industry, enforcement authorities and consumers.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) alongside the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced a call for evidence. The review will focus on issues such as the scope for fraud or profiteering through selling invalid tickets and the use of Internet bots to automatically purchase tickets. It will hopefully acknowledge (unlike the previous Culture Secretary and current Business Secretary) that touting as a practice has evolved from men in donkey jackets outside of venues.

The deadline for submissions is 20th November and the review will report its findings before May 26th next year. As reported, the House of Commons backed revised legislation to create more transparency around secondary ticketing sellers, requiring them to provide details such as the face value of the ticket, the seat number and any applicable restrictions. The amendments to the Consumer Rights Bill was supported by MPs in the Commons, representing a U-turn in the Government’s approach to the secondary market- though the measures seem to have had very little impact if any on the ticket resale operations.

Find out more about submitting a response here.