StubHub International is threatening to leave the UK if the government follows through on its plans to implement a price cap on resale tickets.

The government previously indicated it would be looking to cap resale at 10% above face value, but sought views on levels ranging from no uplift at all to 30%.

But the secondary ticketing marketplace claims that even a 30% cap above face value would “make it very challenging for us to operate”.

“The things that we do, the fraud protections, the things that we build on the platform, the customer service with a live person… it has a cost,” StubHub International CEO Bob Kupbens tells the Financial Times. “Our investors wouldn’t allow us to burn money if we didn’t think there was a viable business here.

“Under a policy landscape where a price cap was implemented, StubHub International would be unable to offer our… guarantee or sustain our levels of customer service. As such, we would be forced to cease our UK operations.”

The long-anticipated consultation into the secondary ticketing market was initiated back in January, with the Labour government vowing to “tackle greedy touts and give power back to fans”.

Interested parties including fans, ticketing platforms and the wider live events sector were invited to submit responses, with the UK live music industry coming out strongly in favour of a price cap as the consultation drew to a close in April.

“We remain optimistic that the government will listen to these expert voices, and deliver a policy that cracks down on touting”

According to analysis by UK watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), typical mark-ups on tickets sold on the secondary market are often more than 50%, and investigations by Trading Standards have uncovered evidence of tickets being resold for up to 6x their original cost.

Viagogo, which announced its acquisition of StubHub for US$4.05bn in 2019, was forced to sell its international business to  due to competition concerns. StubHub International is now owned by US-based private equity fund, Digital Fuel Capital LLC.

Consequently, Adam Webb, campaign manager of anti-touting pressure group FanFair Alliance contends that whether the company “can conceivably ‘leave’ the UK is a bit of a moot point”.

“However, as we wait for the government to respond to the Putting Fans First consultation, it feels support for a price cap on ticket resale is fast gathering pace,” he adds. “As well as FanFair and the wider music industry, this common sense move is backed by a growing number of MPs, by the Competition & Markets Authority and now by consumer champion Which, who last week launched a Stop Fleecing Fans campaign.

“We remain optimistic that the government will listen to these expert voices, and deliver a policy that cracks down on touting and helps boost a competitive, consumer-friendly ticket resale market.”

StubHub filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in New York in March, setting out its “mission” to be the “global destination for consumers to access live events and experiences”. The firm said that buyers from over 200 countries and territories purchased more than 40 million tickets from over 1m sellers on its marketplace in 2024, reporting that its revenue rose 29.5% year-on-year to $1.77 billion.

It acknowledged in the IPO filing that its business is subject to a “number of risks and uncertainties”.

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As stadiums swing open their doors to welcome hordes of fans this summer, some may have paid much more than their neighbours to get through the gate, depending on which country they are in.

IQ research into key upcoming international tours shows how audiences in some countries are shelling out more for virtually the same experience.

The upcoming Oasis shows, which will see the Mancunian brothers traverse the UK/IE, North America, Asia, Australia, and South America before the year is out, offer a stark insight into the impact on fans of different regulatory regimes.

For the UK leg, standing pitch tickets were initially priced at £135 but now can be found on StubHub for up to £3,500 — a near 2,500% markup.

But for their dual Dublin shows at Croke Park, resale tickets for the in-demand shows are almost nowhere to be found.

Ireland’s Sale of Tickets Act from 2021 prohibits the sale of tickets above face value, while the UK currently does not have similar legislation. The UK Government has signalled that it intends to bring forward legislation which would add a cap to resale, with a consultation on the issue recently completed.

“In an unregulated market, we see resale prices set at whatever the reseller decides. This leads to extensive harvesting at on sale and extortionate price gouging for resale – preventing genuine fans from buying tickets in the first place and forcing them to pay over the odds,” Sam Shemtob, director of the Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT), tells IQ.

“The disjointed approach to ticket resale regulation is one of the biggest problems we face”

Following their North American run, co-headliners Kendrick Lamar & SZA are bringing the Grand National Tour to Europe next month. The chart-topping duo’s stadium run will include stops in the UK, Portugal, Italy, and Poland.

In places where ticket resale above face value is banned — the latter three countries — marked-up tickets are almost non-existent, with only very small numbers seeking to flout the regulations.

British fans are not offered that same protection, with dozens of touted tickets available and a £255.25 lower bowl seat currently listed for £773 on StubHub (a 203% hike).

“The disjointed approach to ticket resale regulation you describe is one of the biggest problems we face across the EU. We are seeing an increase in music tourism, driven by people’s desire to watch their favourite global superstar live,” Shemtob says. “Yet, in the EU, we still have a patchwork approach to ticket resale legislation, despite the EU stating publicly it wants to avoid differing consumer protection laws in neighbouring member states.”

Across the pond, the situation in the US — tremendous demand coupled with limited federal regulation — can lead to eye-watering mark-ups for fans on the resale market.

K-pop megagroup Blackpink reforms to hit the road next month, starting in South Korea. The Live Nation-backed World Tour will take the quartet across North America, the UK/EU, and Asia before wrapping up early 2026.

Resale across the group’s US dates is plentiful and priced at a premium. In LA, standard primary tickets are listed for $451 with resale for the same section available for $3,392 — a 652% hike. For their Chicago stop, a $950 front-seated section can be found for double the price on secondary sites.

Consumers in the US pay an average of 203% of the original price for tickets on the secondary market

“Resellers often list tickets at ridiculous prices to help create a price ceiling for the resale market for that show. Then, when a less pricey ticket becomes available, it looks like a bargain,” explains Shemtob.

“As well as serving to gouge consumers, the sacrificing of some tickets in this way to create a false picture of the market leads to empty seats in venues.”

Country superstar Zach Bryan is also hitting stadiums across the US this year. After stints at Dublin’s Phoenix Park and London’s BST Hyde Park, Bryan will headline venues in New Jersey, West Virginia, and Indiana before closing at Michigan Stadium (cap. 107,601), reportedly poised to be the biggest ticketed concert in US history.

For the historic show, promoted by AEG Presents, multiple resale tickets are currently available for $10,040 each — a remarkable 900% surge from comparable face-value prices.

Consumers in the US pay an average of 203% of the original price for tickets on the secondary market, according to a 2024 study by the US’s National Independent Talent Organisation, a coalition that represents hundreds of independent music managers, booking agencies, and artists.

Despite this, the study found differences between states reflected state-level regulation — California’s resellers made 95% less than in unregulated states like New York and Illinois.

“Ticket resales are driven by the customer, so there is no inherent solution as the customer will either find a way or pay the price to get a ticket, or sell it themselves,” said Maureen Andersen, president and CEO of the US-based International Ticket Association (INTIX), to IQ for the International Ticketing Report 2024.

“Laws, legislation, policies, and regulations only work so far and only if there is enough oversight, culpability, and ramification for the activity.”

That sentiment is echoed by those looking across markets.

Looking at countries that have had success clamping down on inflated secondary resale Shemtob concludes: “These markets have a straightforward law on ticket resale, which is easy for the consumer, reseller and resale platform to understand. This is coupled with (usually) strong enforcement of the law – something which is essential for ticket resale legislation to actually work.”

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Following months of rumours, secondary ticketing marketplace StubHub has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in New York.

The company, which operates as Viagogo outside North America, originally planned to go public last summer with a target valuation of US$16.5 billion only to later postpone the move, reportedly due to unfavourable market conditions.

But it has now pressed ahead with its SEC filing, which sets out its “mission” to be the “global destination for consumers to access live events and experiences”.

“We believe we operate the largest global secondary ticketing marketplace for live events,” reads the prospectus. “Our business model has achieved scale with high growth and generated significant revenue, profit and cash flow. We connect fans around the world with sellers who use our marketplace to reach passionate fans and price tickets efficiently.”

The firm says that buyers from over 200 countries and territories purchased more than 40 million tickets from over 1m sellers on its marketplace in 2024, reporting that its revenue rose 29.5% year-on-year to $1.77 billion. It posted a net loss of $2.8m – attributed to increased costs and expenses – compared to a net profit of $405.2m in 2023 and a net loss of $261m in 2022.

“We believe the international secondary ticketing market represents a $23 billion opportunity over the medium term”

“We believe we are the leader in the $18 billion North American secondary ticketing market based on our GMS [gross merchandise sales] for 2024 as compared to similar metrics of our largest competitors for 2024,” it continues. “We believe the international secondary ticketing market represents a $23 billion opportunity over the medium term as these markets continue to be penetrated by global digital commerce.

“We are also growing in the $132 billion global original issuance market and believe we can help enable the distribution and recovery of approximately $22 billion in unsold tickets through our marketplace.”

Viagogo announced its acquisition of StubHub for US$4.05bn in 2019 in a landmark deal that brought together the world’s two largest secondary ticket sellers, and placed Viagogo founder and CEO Eric Baker back in control of the company he co-founded in 2000.

The sale was approved by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after Viagogo was forced to sell its international business due to competition concerns.

In its IPO filing, StubHub acknowledges that its business is subject to a “number of risks and uncertainties”.

“Our business depends on supply and demand for and continued occurrence of large-scale sports, concerts, theatre and other live events, and any decrease in the number of such events or the willingness of consumers to attend such events could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations,” says the document.

“This indicates a recovering US IPO market with owners seeing a window of opportunity to go public”

StubHub also notes that “changes in internet search engine algorithms and dynamics, or any limitation or discontinuation of support by such search engines for our paid search results, could have an adverse impact on traffic for our sites and ultimately, our business, financial condition and results of operations”.

Viagogo was banned from advertising on Google globally in July 2019 after the latter came under fire from lawmakers for allegedly accepting advertising money from sites listing tickets fraudulently. The ban was quietly lifted four months later.

The Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT) – which is dedicated to the promotion of face-value ticket resale across the continent – has said that it is estimated that Google is responsible for driving two-thirds of traffic to Viagogo.

Meanwhile, the UK government launched a consultation into the secondary ticketing market in January, with measures being considered including a new cap on the price of resale tickets, alongside plans to limit the number of tickets resellers can list to the maximum they are allowed to purchase on the primary market. Various other legislative initiatives relating to resale are also already in place in other territories.

Alluding to the state of play, StubHub notes: “We operate in international markets and are subject to risks associated with the legislative, judicial, accounting, regulatory, political and economic conditions specific to such markets, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

Furthermore, it states: “We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to remedy these material weaknesses, experience additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to continue to design, implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our Class A common stock.”

Nevertheless, Josef Schuster, CEO of financial institution IPOX, describes StubHub as “one of the most closely watched IPOs this year”.

“StubHub’s filing follows on the recent filings of other high-profile deals set to go public soon, including CoreWeave and Klarna,” he tells Reuters. “This indicates a recovering US IPO market with owners seeing a window of opportunity to go public.”

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Employees of a third-party contractor for StubHub allegedly stole more than 900 tickets to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour and other events and then resold them for more than $600,000 in illegal profit, New York prosecutors say.

According to prosecutors, the tickets were stolen by two employees at a third-party contractor for StubHub in Jamaica called Sutherland, who then emailed them to other members of a “cybercrime crew” in New York who resold them on the platform for a windfall.

The 993 tickets were allegedly stolen between June 2022 and July 2023 and led to 350 StubHub orders totalling $635,000.

Tyrone Rose, 20, of Jamaica, and Shamara P. Simmons, 31, of New York, were arrested over the alleged scheme last week on charges of grand larceny, computer tampering and conspiracy, according to a statement Monday by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Each faces a maximum sentence of three to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count.

“The individuals involved, employees of [Sutherland], exploited a system vulnerability to fraudulently resell tickets”

According to prosecutors, Rose and an unnamed accomplice used their positions at Sutherland to access a restricted area of StubHub’s network used to house URLs for event tickets that have already been sold. The pair then allegedly redirected those tickets to Simmons and another unnamed accomplice, who posted the tickets to StubHub and resold them for profit.

Though the “majority” of the stolen tickets were for stops on Swift’s $2bn Eras Tour, Rose and Simmons also allegedly stole tickets to Adele and Ed Sheeran concerts, NBA games and the US Open Tennis Championships.

Neither StubHub nor Sutherland has been accused of any wrongdoing. In a statement, StubHub’s chief legal officer, Mark Streams, said that when it uncovered the scheme, it promptly reported it to Sutherland and law enforcement: “The individuals involved, employees of [Sutherland], exploited a system vulnerability to fraudulently resell tickets,” he said. “They were swiftly identified and terminated.”

Streams said the company had replaced or refunded all affected orders and had also strengthened its security protocols to avoid future scams. StubHub has also since ended its relationship with Sutherland, the company said.

Last year StubHub was sued by the attorney general for the District of Columbia (DC) in the US, accusing the resale platform of “deceptive” pricing and hidden fees.

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Online ticket reseller Vivid Seats is reportedly fielding acquisition offers from several private equity firms hoping to take the company private.

The Chicago-based company, which competes with SeatGeek and StubHub, has enlisted an advisory firm to help gauge interest in a potential sale, according to Bloomberg.

The news sent Vivid Seats’ stock surging 20% on 30 December, marking its largest single-day gain since going public. The hike brought the company’s market capitalisation to USD $943 million. As of Friday (3 January), Vivid Seats’ market cap stood at $955 million.

However, the company’s shares have faced considerable pressure over the past year, declining by 40% before this recent uptick.

In the third quarter of 2024, Vivid Seats’ net income plunged 43% to $9.2 million from $16 million the prior year. Revenue inched down 1% YoY to $186.6 million from $188.1 million.

The news sent Vivid Seats’ stock surging 20% on 30 December, marking its largest single-day gain since going public

CEO Stan Chia in November said, “Demand remained robust in the third quarter, although we experienced a headwind from concert supply, including from venue and artist mix, that we believe to be temporary.”

Vivid Seats was launched in 2001 by Jerry Bednyak and Eric Vassilatos as a competitor to resale platform StubHub and later Seat Geek – both of which have been sizing up a potential initial public offering.

In 2017, private equity firm GTCR acquired a majority stake in Vivid Seats. A year later, Bednyak and Vassilatos left the company and went on to launch venture group Skybox Capital.

In 2021, the company went public via a merger with Horizon Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). That transaction valued Vivid Seats at approximately $1.95 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Vivid Seats’ current ownership includes a substantial stake held by Eldridge Industries, led by Todd Boehly, which controls roughly 41% of the company’s Class A shares. GTCR also maintains a minority position in the business.

IQ has reached out to Vivid Seats for comment.

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Promoters of Oasis’ reunion concerts say they will cancel up to 50,000 tickets listed on unofficial resale sites for the tour’s UK leg.

Live Nation and SJM told BBC Radio 4’s File on 4 the invalidated tickets would be re-listed at face value on Ticketmaster.

Oasis Live ’25 was the biggest concert launch ever seen in UK and Ireland, with over 10 million fans from 158 countries attempting to buy tickets for the 1.4 million tickets available for the group’s first shows since 2009.

Strict anti-touting measures were put in place in a bid to ensure tickets are resold for no more than face value and booking fees, with Twickets selected as the tour’s official ticket resale platform.

“Ticket resale is permitted at no more than the price you paid (face value + booking fees),” read a message on the Oasis website prior to the 31 August on-sale. “Please only use the official resale partners www.twickets.live and Ticketmaster. Selling tickets through unauthorised resale platforms will breach these T&Cs and those tickets may be cancelled.”

The promoters said they would begin the process of voiding tickets deemed to have breached the terms and conditions shortly.

“Fans will be the beneficiaries of this action when any cancelled tickets go back on sale at face value”

“These terms and conditions were successfully put in place to take action against secondary ticketing companies reselling tickets for huge profit,” they say in a statement. “Only 4% of tickets have ended up on resale sites. Some major tours can see up to 20% of tickets appearing via the major unauthorised secondary platforms.

“All parties involved with the tour continue to urge fans not to purchase tickets from unauthorised websites as some of these may be fraudulent and others subject to cancellation.”

Speaking to IQ, FanFair Alliance campaign manager Adam Webb praises the move.

“It’s great to see Oasis take these measures to enforce their T&Cs,” he says. “To be clear, they are not cancelling tickets bought by fans – they are cancelling tickets unlawfully acquired by touts. That’s a very different thing. Some of these tickets might not even have been resold. And obviously fans will be the beneficiaries of this action when any cancelled tickets go back on sale at face value.”

Viagogo’s Matt Drew told File on 4 that “2%” of Oasis tickets had appeared on Viagogo and Stubhub, and indicated the secondary sites would not be deterred from offering them for resale.

“We will continue to sell them in the way the regulator says we can,” he said. “We are serving a clear consumer need, we will continue doing it on that basis.”

“For the upcoming Oasis world tour, the only shows for which tickets are not being touted on Viagogo, StubHub and Gigsberg are the two at Croke Park in Dublin”

In a previous high-profile case, organisers of Ed Sheeran’s 2018 ÷ Tour stadium run cancelled around 10,000 tickets after Viagogo refused a request from Sheeran’s team not to list the tickets for resale. Labour MP Sharon Hodgson referenced the singer during last week’s secondary ticketing hearing in parliament.

“I do not want this debate to end without mentioning Ed Sheeran and how much he has done to try to tackle the scourge of ticket touting,” said Hodgson. “Lots of other artists, such as Iron Maiden, Arctic Monkeys, Mumford & Sons and many others have tried, but Ed Sheeran went above and beyond by cancelling tickets when they had been resold. Taylor Swift never did that because she did not want to break the hearts of all her fans, but Ed Sheeran has been a real warrior in that regard.”

With the new Labour government preparing to launch a consultation into the resale market, Hodgson highlighted the impact of ticketing legislation introduced in Ireland in 2021.

“For the upcoming Oasis world tour, the only shows for which tickets are not being touted on Viagogo, StubHub and Gigsberg are the two at Croke Park in Dublin,” she said.

Cast were this week confirmed as the opening act for Oasis’ 19-date UK and Ireland tour leg, joining previously announced special guest Richard Ashcroft on the bill. The  on-sale became marred by a dynamic ticketing row that triggered multiple inquiries in the UK and Ireland. In the wake of the backlash, the band’s team opted against utilising the pricing strategy for their subsequent North America and Australia sales to “hopefully avoid a repeat of the issues”.

“It is widely accepted that dynamic pricing remains a useful tool to combat ticket touting and keep prices for a significant proportion of fans lower than the market rate and thus more affordable,” they said in a statement. “But, when unprecedented ticket demand (where the entire tour could be sold many times over at the moment tickets go on sale) is combined with technology that cannot cope with that demand, it becomes less effective and can lead to an unacceptable experience for fans.”

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The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is urging Congress to investigate “deceptive” ticketing practices after discovering thousands of fake tickets already listed for resale for Oasis’ 2025 North American tour.

NIVA says that 9,000 speculative and, in many cases, non-existent tickets for the band’s US and Canada concerts appeared on secondary platforms at prices far above face value ahead of yesterday’s (3 October) presale and today’s general sale.

It is now calling on the Senate Commerce Committee to hold a hearing on predatory ticket practices – including the sale of speculative tickets – upon Congress’ return from recess in November.

“We are sharing examples of speculative and fake tickets from the Oasis shows with Congress because these are among the highest-profile sales that get the public’s and Congress’ attention,” says NIVA executive director Stephen Parker in a letter to Senate committee on commerce, science and transportation chair Maria Cantwell and US senator Ted Cruz.

“The scourge of fake tickets for these shows and so many other lower profile shows deceives consumers and may even lead them to buy flights, hotels, dinners, and more that they can’t recover if they don’t receive the ticket they have purchased or if the ticket they receive does not work.

“The prices for these fake tickets are likely exceedingly higher than the face value of the tickets. We can’t determine the exact markup on the fake tickets given that there are no tickets available for the public to buy, let alone see the price. These price gouged tickets will leave fans with less money to spend on other shows and less money for the food, drink, and merchandise that generate critical revenue for the local communities where these shows happen.”

“We found a significant number of listings with no warning or messages that the tickets were not in the possession of the seller”

The US trade association claims that approximately 4,354 fake tickets for three Oasis shows were listed on StubHub as of the evening of 2 October, with around 3,450 fake tickets listed on Vivid Seats.

“We found a significant number of listings with no warning or messages that the tickets were not in the possession of the seller, including the most expensive tickets across all three nights,” continues Parker. “Even more egregious is messaging on Vivid Seats sharing misinformation with fans that only ‘1% of tickets [are] left’ when again, the official ticket sale has not yet begun.”

IQ has approached StubHub and Vivid Seats for comment.

NIVA, which represents more than 2,000 independent concert venues and related music businesses, is also pressing lawmakers to advance the Fans First Act as part of a comprehensive year-end legislative package to reform ticketing practices in the territory.

Introduced by senators last December, the Fans First Act is designed to help increase transparency in ticket sales, protect customers “from fake or dramatically overpriced tickets,” and hold “bad actors who engage in illegal ticket sale practices” to account.

“What is happening this week with Oasis tickets in the US is alarming, but it pales in comparison to what artists and independent stages see every day”

“What is happening this week with Oasis tickets in the US is alarming, but it pales in comparison to what artists and independent stages see every day from predatory resellers,” adds Parker. “This letter is a defence of consumers and artists everywhere.”

Earlier this week, Oasis announced outdoor shows in the US, Canada and Mexico for next summer – their first gigs in North America since 2008 – supported by special guests Cage The Elephant.

The reunited group went on to confirm four additional shows as part of the tour leg, which is produced by Live Nation and SJM, due to “phenomenal demand”. They will now play Toronto’s new Rogers Stadium (24-25 August), Chicago’s Soldier Field (28 August), MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (31 August & 1 September), Los Angeles’ Rose Bowl (6-7 September) and GNP Seguros Stadium (12-13 September).

Fans who have purchased tickets and can no longer attend the shows are urged to resell their tickets via the North American tour’s official resale platform Twickets or Ticketmaster Fan-to-Fan in the US and Canada.

Meanwhile, RTE has reported details of almost 100 complaints made to Ireland’s Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) over the handling of the 31 August on-sale for the band’s Dublin concerts, which is being investigated by the watchdog.

The UK & Ireland sale was marred by a controversy over dynamic pricing that has sparked multiple inquiries. A statement from Oasis’ management confirmed the model will not be employed for the US, Canada and Mexico shows.

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The attorney general for the District of Columbia (DC) in the US has filed a lawsuit against StubHub, accusing the resale platform of “deceptive” pricing and hidden fees.

Brian L. Schwalb alleges the American ticket exchange and resale platform hides mandatory fees from customers until the end of a lengthy purchase process, and then fails to provide clear and accurate information about the purpose of those fees or how they are calculated.

Furthermore, he claims the “deceptive and unfair practices” interfere with consumers’ ability to comparison shop and “otherwise make informed decisions about their ticket purchases”, in violation of the District’s consumer protection laws.

“For years, StubHub has illegally deceived District consumers through its convoluted junk fee scheme,” says Schwalb. “StubHub lures consumers in by advertising a deceptively low price, forces them through a burdensome purchase process, and then finally reveals a total on the checkout page that is vastly higher than the originally advertised ticket price.

“This is no accident – StubHub intentionally hides the true price to boost profits at its customers’ expense. The District is home to one of the nation’s largest and most vibrant live entertainment scenes, and StubHub’s predatory tactics disproportionately harm District residents. That is why we’re suing to end StubHub’s exploitative pricing scheme.”

“We are disappointed that the DC Attorney General is targeting StubHub when our user experience is consistent with the law”

StubHub released a statement in response, saying it was “disappointed” at being targeted by the attorney general, and declared its support for all-in pricing.

“StubHub is committed to creating a transparent, secure, and competitive marketplace to benefit consumers,” it says. “We are disappointed that the DC attorney general is targeting StubHub when our user experience is consistent with the law, our competitors’ practices, and the broader e-commerce sector. We strongly support federal and state solutions that enhance existing laws to empower consumers, such as requiring all-in pricing uniformly across platforms.”

It was recently reported that StubHub had delayed its plans for a summer IPO. Previously, it was indicated it was planning to go public this summer if it was able to achieve a valuation of around US$16.5 billion (€15.1bn).

Viagogo announced its acquisition of StubHub for US$4.05bn in 2019 in a landmark deal that brought together the world’s two largest secondary ticket sellers, and placed Viagogo founder and CEO Eric Baker back in control of the company he co-founded in 2000.

The sale was approved by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after Viagogo was forced to sell its international business due to competition concerns. It offloaded its StubHub business outside of North America to investment firm Digital Fuel Capital LLC for an undisclosed sum in 2021.

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Secondary ticketing company StubHub has reportedly pushed back its plans for a summer IPO.

It was previously indicated the American ticket exchange and resale platform was planning to go public this summer if it was able to achieve a valuation of around US$16.5 billion (€15.1bn).

But according to CNBC, the firm has now pushed back its plans until after 2 September’s Labor Day in the US. Citing a source familiar with the deal, the news channel lists stagnant market conditions and the lack of major consumer IPOs in recent months as contributing factors in the decision.

StubHub, which declined to comment on the report, is understood to have been working with JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs on the IPO over the past two years.

Ticket platform SeatGeek has also reportedly been sizing up a potential initial public offering this year

Viagogo announced its acquisition of StubHub for US$4.05bn in 2019 in a landmark deal that brought together the world’s two largest secondary ticket sellers, and placed Viagogo founder and CEO Eric Baker back in control of the company he co-founded in 2000.

The sale was approved by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after Viagogo was forced to sell its international business due to competition concerns. It offloaded its StubHub business outside of North America to investment firm Digital Fuel Capital LLC for an undisclosed sum in 2021.

Ticket platform SeatGeek has also reportedly been sizing up a potential initial public offering this year, while publicly traded competitors Vivid Seats and Live Nation are valued at $1.5bn and $22.8bn, respectively.

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Ticket touts hatched secret plans to sabotage Labour’s bid to cap ticket resale if the party wins the next UK general election, according to a new report.

Footage filmed by the Guardian shows touts and representatives of secondary ticketing platforms such as Viagogo, StubHub and Vivid Seats discussing the proposals at a private event in London, organised by US-based lobby group the Coalition for Ticket Fairness (CTF) and sponsored by Swiss marketplace Gigsberg. Guests paid $240 (€222) each to be in attendance.

At the gathering, touts reportedly pledged £73,000 to hire a “bulletproof” political lobbyist to target MPs after CTF UK president Tony McGowen told guests they could help “guide parliament and to fight back against all the bullshit that a Labour government potentially want to throw at us”.

“We are going to fight parliament, we’re going to fight government,”  he said, “because if we don’t, bottom line is we are all fucked.”

Jason Berger of CTF US added: “It takes a long time to change a law. It’s a lot easier to … stop the law from being written.”

“A Labour government will cap resale prices so fans can see the acts that they love at a fair price”

The event took place in the wake of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s recent vow to restrict the resale of tickets at more than a small, set percentage above face value should his party triumph at July’s general election.

The proposed legislation would also limit the number of tickets individual resellers can list and make platforms accountable for the accuracy of information about tickets they list. In addition, it would ensure watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has the powers to take action against platforms and touts to protect consumers.

“We can’t let access to culture be at the mercy of ticket touts who drive up the prices,” Sir Keir told the Labour Creatives Conference in March. “So a Labour government will cap resale prices so fans can see the acts that they love at a fair price.”

The lobbyist whom the CTF said it had selected told the Guardian they had met with the group over a year ago but would never agree to work for it.

In a statement to the newspaper, the CTF said it was “not currently engaged in any lobbying activities in the UK” and has “no timeline to begin doing so”.

“CTF believes that measures to restrict access to ticketing will create a black market with more transactions driven underground”

“We have not engaged professional support in the manner described and we have no agreement to do so,” it continued. “Like any industry preparing for a potential change in a regulatory environment, we are taking preparatory action which includes bringing the industry together to share insights.

“CTF believes that measures to restrict access to ticketing will create a black market with more transactions driven underground, removing customer security; reduce the availability of tickets to fans; and create further monopolies for vested interests which will see prices driven up for fans.”

A Viagogo spokesperson told the Guardian that two of its executives attended the event for “networking reasons” and said the Swiss-headquartered firm was not funding the CTF. StubHub International and Vivid Seats did not comment, but the latter company is expected to launch in the UK shortly, having incorporated back in March.

A 2022 investigation by ITV News, based on research carried out by campaign group FanFair Alliance (FFA), found that three people were responsible for over two-thirds of UK festival and outdoor event tickets listed by resale platform Viagogo.

Rules to outlaw ticket touting have been adopted in a number of other countries. However, the Conservative government recently rejected fresh legislation that would impact the UK secondary ticketing market. The amendments to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill called for requirements to be imposed on resale platforms regarding “proof of purchase, ticket number limits and the provision of information, with the aim of reducing fraud”.

“I have quite happily used Viagogo on many occasions, as other people have when reselling tickets”

Business minister Kevin Hollinrake said: “We believe those provisions are already there,” and admitted to using Viagogo himself in the past.

“I have quite happily used Viagogo on many occasions, as other people have when reselling tickets,” said the Conservative MP. “Of course we will keep looking at the primary and secondary markets, and at the interaction between the two, so that we can develop the right way to regulate the market, in a future parliament.”

The suggested requirements for resale sites were in line with the recommendations made in a 2021 report by the CMA to tighten laws around online ticket touting, which were rejected by the UK government in May last year, with then business secretary Hollinrake saying he was “not convinced” by the need for additional legislative changes.

Earlier this month meanwhile, four people were jailed for using fraudulent tactics to purchase and resell hundreds of tickets at hugely inflated prices for events and concerts such as Ed Sheeran and Lady Gaga. The defendants ran multi-million-pound limited company TQ Tickets, which they used to purchase hundreds of tickets for events and concerts by the likes of Gary Barlow, Liam Gallagher, Paul Weller and Little Mix.

The trial heard the firm sold tickets worth more than £6.5 million (€7.6m) over the course of two-and-a-half years.

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