DEPARTMENT FOR
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT News Release (037/2008) issued by The
Government News Network on 21 April 2008
Event organisers
need to do much more to ensure that tickets get to real fans
instead of expensive resale websites, Culture Secretary Andy
Burnham said today.
The Government is now looking to event organisers, promoters and
their ticket agents to work together to find new ways of making
sure that tickets are properly distributed without fans routinely
paying over-the-odds. These improvements can happen without the
burden of new regulation, by criminalising fans who want to buy
tickets for sold-out events or sell tickets that they cannot use.
But the Government remains concerned that some events are of such
importance that some restrictions on resale may be necessary. More
work will now be done to explore whether it is in the public
interest to prevent resale of tickets to events of national significance.
Andy Burnham said:
"Fans are the lifeblood of our sporting and entertainment
culture, and young fans keen to get to events are often the most
exploited. Event owners and promoters need to work harder to
ensure that real fans get tickets at a fair price. We've seen
good examples of how this can work at major events. The whole
industry now needs to take action to ensure that distribution is
fair and effective.
"The re-selling of tickets at inflated prices doesn't
add anything to the cultural life of the country, but instead
leaches off it and denies access to those who are least able to
afford tickets.
"The days of turning up at the box office to buy tickets
have been swept away by online ticket sales, but we have also seen
a growth in the secondary market with tickets block-booked by
people whose sole aim is to sell on at a profit.
"Event organisers have been telling me how important it is
that tickets get to real fans. I now want to see the industry find
new ways of making sure that tickets get to the right people.
"But there are some sporting and cultural events of such
significance to the nation that we may need to prevent people from
selling tickets on at a profit. We will work with the industry to
find a way to achieve this on a voluntary basis."
The Government will now:
* push for a voluntary agreement that tickets for certain
'crown jewel' events will not be sold on the secondary
market. This will be similar to the list of sporting events that
must be available to free to air television, and is likely to
include sporting world cups and other high profile events; and
* work with the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) to
deliver a new code of principles for the ticketing market that
meets consumers' needs. This is likely to include a limit on
the number of tickets sold to each person; clear refund policies;
improved distribution, allocation and exchange arrangements; and
fair terms and conditions.
The Government has consistently said that legislation is a last
resort, and this remains the case.
The Government has recommended these measures to help reform the
ticket market in response to an earlier report on ticket touting
by the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee.
The Government agrees with the Select Committee's
conclusions that the secondary sale of free tickets (such as those
for charitable events and events which receive public subsidy such
as the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend) should be prevented. The
Government has already reached an agreement with leading operators
including eBay that sales of tickets for such events will be
prevented in the future. Measures are being developed to ensure
that tickets for the Olympic Games are not resold which would be
in breach of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Act 2006.
Legislative controls on ticket resale for football is already in
place to prevent public disorder.
Examples of events of national significance are expected to
include large sporting events such as the rugby and cricket world
cups and Commonwealth Games. Other events that might fall within
this category are significant one-off public events like Live8.
Consumer protection laws are already in place to protect
consumers from misleading or unfair sales practices. Enforcement
authorities such as the Insolvency Service will continue to take
appropriate action against those who harm consumers. Further
advice can be obtained from the Office of Fair Trading or Consumer Direct.
Notes to editors
* The Government's response to the Culture, Media and Sport
Committee report on ticket touting can be found at: http://www.dcms.gov.uk
* The Committee's report is available at: http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/culture__media_and_sport.cfm
* Part IV Broadcasting Act 1996 enables the Secretary of State to
draw up and publish a list of protected events that must be made
available to free to air television on fair and reasonable terms.
Public enquiries 020 7211 6020
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