Business ProfileforLive Nation Canada, Inc

The following describes a government action that has been resolved by either a settlement or a decision by a court or administrative agency. If the matter is being appealed, it will be noted below.

On January 25 2018 the Competition Bureau announced that it had laid charges against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, for allegedly making deceptive claims to consumers when advertising prices for sports and entertainment tickets.

The Bureau's investigation found that Ticketmaster's advertised prices are deceptive because consumers must pay additional fees that are added later in the purchasing process. This practice, which is known as "drip pricing", results in consumers paying much higher prices than advertised. Ticketmaster's mandatory fees often inflate the advertised price by more than 20% and, in some cases, by over 65%.

This legal action follows a public statement by the Bureau in July 2017, which called on all sporting and entertainment ticket vendors to review their marketing practices and display the real price of tickets upfront.

The Bureau has filed an application with the Competition Tribunal seeking, among other things, an end to the alleged deceptive marketing practices and an administrative monetary penalty.

For more information please visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2018/01/competition_bureausuesticketmasterovermisleadingticketpriceadver.html

On June 27 2019 the Competition Bureau announced that Ticketmaster L.L.C., TNow Entertainment Group, Inc. and Ticketmaster Canada LP will pay a $4 million penalty and $500,000 for costs incurred by the Competition Bureau during its investigation into allegedly misleading pricing claims in online ticket sales.

This concludes the Bureau's legal action against Ticketmaster and other related companies. As part of a consent agreement registered with the Competition Tribunal, the companies will also establish a compliance program to ensure their advertising complies with the law and will implement new procedures to prevent advertising issues in the future.

The Bureau's investigation concluded that Ticketmaster's advertised prices were not attainable because they added mandatory fees during the later stages of the purchasing process. In the Bureau's view, the price representations were misleading even though the amount of the fees was disclosed before consumers completed their transaction. The Bureau concluded that the additional fees often added more than 20% and, in some cases, over 65% to the advertised prices.

For more information please visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2019/06/ticketmaster-to-pay-45-million-to-settle-misleading-pricing-case.html