Competition watchdog ‘satisfied’ by StubHub changes after probe

The competition watchdog has said it is now “satisfied” ticket-selling site StubHub has adequately addressed concerns that it could be breaking consumer law.

In January, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) warned that the ticket-seller could face court action unless it made it took actions to clean up its site.

The regulator has now said that StubHub has now made a raft of changes to its operations to address its concerns.

It said it is now satisfied that, following evidence and a period of monitoring, StubHub’s UK is now sufficiently warning customers buying tickets that these “may not get them into an event”.

StubHub has also removed “inaccurate” messages about the availability of tickets on its site, the CMA said.

The CMA also said it is satisfied the company is now ensuring that ticket-buyers now know exactly where they will sit in a venue.

It also said it believes the company is taking sufficient steps to ensure full addresses of its sellers are displayed.

However, the watchdog also warned that “new issues” have been reported during the Covid-19 pandemic related to secondary ticketing, such as concerns about cancellations and refunds.

The CMA said it will consider whether further action might be needed to address this if it “emerges that consumer protection law is being broken”.

In a separate investigation, the CMA is currently looking into Viagogo’s £3.2 billion acquisition of StubHub amid concerns over the deal’s impact on competition in the sector.

In June, the CMA said it would deepen its probe into the deal after concluding that the move could “result in a substantial lessening of competition” in the secondary ticketing market.

A StubHub spokeswoman said: “We are pleased that the CMA has confirmed that StubHub has addressed the CMA’s concerns.

“We have worked closely with the CMA to evolve our site in the best interest of our customers.

“As a fan-first marketplace, StubHub has always cooperated closely with regulators and will continue to do so, appreciating the dynamic regulatory environment in which we operate.”