The UK Government has rejected the Competition and Market Authority (CMA)’s recommendations on secondary ticketing, some 19 months after they were made, saying that it “does not currently intend to introduce further regulation in this area”. The Government added that it would instead focus on “its consumer protection measures in the recently introduced Digital Markets, …
People: Connect & Go, Untitled and more…
We round up the latest movements from the ticketing sector and associated industries… Manchester’s new venue Co-op Live has appointed Gary Roden as executive director and general manager. Roden spent eight years at Ticketmaster UK, most recently as the senior vice-president of client development and commercial. You can read our full story here. Connect & …
UK Government’s live events reinsurance scheme paid out just once
The UK Government’s live events reinsurance scheme, which was designed to help keep the live events sector going through the pandemic, paid out just one claim, according to a report from the Financial Times. The Financial Times reported that one claim of £180,500 (€204,000/$225,000) had been paid out, generating almost £6m in premiums, according to …
Rishi Sunak says Government is doing ‘everything it can’ to tackle ticket touts
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that his Government will do “everything it can” to combat ticketing touting, after MP Kevin Brennan highlighted Eurovision tickets being listed on Viagogo for thousands of pounds. During Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday (Wednesday) Brennan highlighted a BBC Radio 4 show, ‘You and Yours’, which discussed the issue of …
UK Government allocates 3,000 Eurovision tickets to displaced Ukrainians
The UK Government has announced that around 3,000 tickets will be made available for displaced Ukrainians living in the UK to attend the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. Liverpool is set to hold the competition in May, as 2022 winners Ukraine are not able to host after Russia invaded the country just over a year ago. …
Night time businesses lose out during festive period
The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has said that businesses in the sector lost a fifth of their trade over the festive period. While New Year’s Eve performed better than expected with trading down by only 16% compared to 2019, the month of December was underwhelming for trade due to consumers having less disposable income, …
UK Government’s Unboxed festival to be examined by National Audit Office
The UK Government’s Unboxed festival, an arts festival with free events taking place across the UK, is to be examined by the nation’s independent public spending watchdog. The review has been requested by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee. In a letter published today (Tuesday) the Comptroller and Auditor General, Gareth …
MPs call on UK Government to remove EU touring barriers
A cross-party group of MPs and Peers have released a report calling on the UK Government to remove barriers faced by UK musicians when touring the European Union (EU). The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music (APPG on Music), which incorporates more than 100 MPs and Peers, published the ‘Let Music Move – A New Deal …
UK Government faces fresh calls to reduce VAT
There have been fresh calls for UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak to reduce VAT to 12.5% to help businesses in the live entertainment and night time sectors. Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), has said that time is running out for the UK Government and the Chancellor to help with inflation …
New UK CMA powers to further protect consumers
The UK Government has announced reforms that will aim to protect consumers from being ripped off, as well as boosting competition. Plans are set to include making it illegal to pay someone to write or host a fake review to mislead consumers. The Government is also giving the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) more …