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Irish competition regulator to investigate the ticketing sector

By | Published on Friday 27 January 2017

Ticket touts

Ireland’s Competition And Consumer Protection Commission has announced an investigation in the country’s ticketing sector.

The government agency says it will investigate “suspected breaches of competition law in relation to the provision of tickets and the operation of ticketing services for live events. The investigation will focus primarily on potentially anti-competitive conduct by operators including those involved in providing tickets and ticketing services, promoters and venues”.

Secondary ticketing has been a talking point in Ireland of late, as in the UK and elsewhere, with particular chatter about how quickly tickets for U2’s show at Croke Park in Dublin later this year sold out, before appearing at majorly hiked up prices on the touting platforms. Irish MPs called for regulation of the ticket resale sector earlier this week as the country’s government announced a public consultation on the issues around touting.

Though the CCPC investigation will seemingly go further than that. The watchdog said yesterday: “As part of the investigation, the CCPC has issued witness summonses and formal requirements for information to a number of parties involved in the sector. The CCPC welcomes contacts from parties in the sector who may have information that they feel is relevant to the investigation”.



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