BBC Probe Rekindles Scrutiny of Secondary Ticketing Platforms and Reseller Ties
The murky underworld of ticket reselling is back in the spotlight as the BBC drops a damning investigation into long-standing relationships between secondary ticketing platforms and so-called “touts” — the UK’s term for large-scale ticket resellers. The findings are sending ripples through the live events industry, coming at a time when Live Nation and Ticketmaster are already facing major antitrust lawsuits, regulatory probes, and widespread consumer distrust.
A Blast from the Past – With Present-Day Implications
The BBC investigation centers on two individuals who were recently convicted of using fraudulent tactics to scoop up event tickets en masse between 2010 and 2017. Their tactics included purchasing tickets under various names, sidestepping platform limits, and reselling them at inflated prices. These actions, while not surprising to industry watchers, underscore the scale and sophistication of the problem — and raise uncomfortable questions about the platforms that enabled them.
Among the most revealing parts of the report are claims from former employees of now-defunct resale sites GetMeIn and Seatwave — both once owned by Ticketmaster — who say they “worked closely with touts.” One staffer described a “cosy relationship” between Seatwave and resellers. Another disclosed that GetMeIn offered performance-based incentives to one of the very resellers later convicted of fraud.
More damning still, a former Ticketmaster tech employee alleged that his team developed software specifically to help resellers profit from the secondary market — a revelation that, if accurate, could bring significant legal and reputational fallout.
Ghosts of Ticketmaster’s Past
Ticketmaster shut down GetMeIn and Seatwave in 2018, replacing them with a “fan-to-fan exchange” meant to offer more transparency. However, the BBC’s findings suggest that the damage may already have been done — and that the roots of Ticketmaster’s current dominance in the resale space were grown in ethically questionable soil.
The report also connects the dots between resellers and executives, including a 2015 proposal from a GetMeIn boss to introduce one of the convicted touts to a senior Ticketmaster lawyer who is still with the company. Notably, that executive’s LinkedIn profile appears to have recently vanished or gone private.
In response, Ticketmaster dismissed the report as “revisiting outdated claims about long-defunct businesses,” arguing that it has no bearing on today’s marketplace. Yet to many fans, the distinction feels semantic at best — especially as ticket prices soar and competition remains scarce.
Global Pressure Mounts
The timing couldn’t be worse for Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation. In the U.S., they’re facing a major Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit that could lead to a corporate breakup. A separate congressional inquiry into “unfair and anticompetitive” live event practices is ongoing, and whispers of potential criminal charges against executives at Live Nation and even rival promoter AEG have surfaced.
In the UK, frustration over resale pricing boiled over after the recent Oasis ticketing debacle, prompting government officials to propose price caps on secondary sales.
The Bigger Picture
Whether or not the BBC’s revelations will result in new legal action remains to be seen. But the broader issue is undeniable: fans feel priced out, powerless, and skeptical of a system that often seems rigged against them. And this latest investigation only amplifies those concerns.
Ticketmaster may argue that these are relics of a different era — but for a company still controlling massive swaths of the live event ecosystem, yesterday’s practices can cast a long shadow over today’s business.
Conclusion:
As regulators ramp up scrutiny and consumers demand fairer ticketing practices, the live entertainment industry is nearing a reckoning. The BBC’s investigation may be historical in focus, but its impact could shape the future of ticketing — and the power structures behind the scenes.
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