In light of a string of high-profile megagigs for 2025 and the difficulty in obtaining legitimate tickets, O2 – the telecoms company whose name emblazons the O2 Arena in London and who sold over 1.4 million gig tickets last year – have issued a statement and advice for anyone looking to pay a fair price and avoid fakes.
“We are tired of professional ticket touts abusing the market and stealing tickets out of fans’ hands,” said O2’s Director Gareth Griffiths. “Music fans deserve the chance to buy tickets at a price set by their favourite artist, but all too often they are forced to pay a price decided by a stranger on the internet. Consumers deserve more protection.”
Revealing stats, the company confirmed that it sold 1.4 million tickets via its Priority platform in 2023. Meanwhile, at the same time, over a six-week period they prevented more than 50,000 suspected bots from entering their platform.
And, in its own research, conducted along with the YouGov analysis institute, the company claims that almost half of music fans who have attended live music events are now ‘not confident’ in identifying legit tickets.
It estimates that ticket touts are profiting from music fans to the tune of £145m per year and with one in five tickets ending up on a resale platform, O2 is calling upon resale websites to be more upfront with consumers.
O2 are now calling for three measures that it believes are required to alleviate the current scalper wild West:
“1) Better legislation against the sale of concert tickets for significant profits. With 63% of music fans who have attended live music events believing there should be rules in place around ticket resale according to its research, O2 fully supports government plans to bring in new laws to protect fans.
“2) Clearer information during the sale process on ticket resale platforms, such as a pop-up notification which fully explains who the ticket is being bought from and the potential risks involved.
“3) Clearer identification of ticket resale platforms on search engines. Resale websites can currently buy their way to the top of search results, without having to mention their tickets are second-hand.
In addition to the call for legislation the O2 team also has tips for music fans looking to secure the real deal:
Firstly, check artist’s social media and websites for official ticket partners as these should be the first place you check before you buy tickets. Don’t rely on a search engine.
If a ticket is being sold on a website such as Viagogo, or on social media, it is important to recognise that this is NOT a ticket being sold directly by the artist or promoter. It is being resold by another human being, who has independently decided the price that they want to sell it for.
Secondly, it’s important to know the risks associated with buying a second-hand ticket. While it’s often the only option to music fans when shows are sold out, buying a second-hand ticket always comes with risks. 60% of music fans who have attended live music events buying tickets from the resale market are worried about being sold a fake one.
And while platforms such as Viagogo may offer fans a full refund if they fall foul of a ticket scam, they cannot guarantee entry to the show.
Finally, if you do need to sell a ticket, select a fair one. O2 recommends fan-to-fan platforms such as Twickets and Ticketmaster’s resale marketplace, where tickets can be resold for no more than the price originally paid (plus fees).
Sharon Hodgson, MP for Washington & Gateshead South & Chair of the APPG for Ticket Abuse comments: “I have fought tirelessly alongside FanFair Alliance to end ticketing abuse and ensure that my constituents, and people across our country, have fair access to the events that bring us together, without falling victim to exploitative touts.
“These new insights serve to further demonstrate the desire amongst music fans for change and we look forward to collaborating with O2 and the music industry to bring that change about.
“We will not stop until we are fully confident in the fairness of the UK’s ticketing industry.”
