Dynamic pricing and ticket resale market to be focus of new government consultation

The government has announced potential measures aimed at addressing concerns around ticket resale and pricing practices in the live events industry.

A new cap on the price of resold tickets is among the proposals, which seek to curb excessive mark-ups and protect consumers from exploitative practices by ticket touts.

The measures come in response to increasing reports of fans struggling to access tickets for popular events due to large-scale purchases by professional resellers. According to research, touts cost music fans an estimated £145 million annually. Trading Standards has uncovered cases where tickets were resold for up to six times their original cost, with intense scrutiny coming from major on-sales like the Oasis and Taylor Swift tours.

The proposals include introducing a cap on resale prices, potentially limiting mark-ups to 30 per cent above the original ticket price, and restricting the number of tickets resellers can list. The government is also considering measures to increase accountability for resale platforms, including new legal obligations to ensure accurate information is provided to consumers.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy said: “For too long fans have had to endure the misery of touts hoovering up tickets for resale at vastly inflated prices. As part of our Plan for Change, we are taking action to strengthen consumer protections, stop fans getting ripped off and ensure money spent on tickets goes back into our incredible live events sector, instead of into the pockets of greedy touts.”

Another key focus of the initiative is dynamic pricing, a system that adjusts a venue and organiser’s ticket prices based on demand. While dynamic pricing is designed to manage demand and maximise revenue, the government has launched a call for evidence to assess the impact of dynamic pricing and explore whether further regulation is needed to protect consumers and provide greater transparency.

As part of the consultation, the government is also reviewing existing legislation to strengthen consumer enforcement, including higher fines for breaches of ticketing rules and a potential licensing system for resale platforms.