O2 demands action against ticket touts costing music fans £145m per year

O2 is calling on music fans to write to their local MP and push the government into action over greedy ticket touts which are costing the UK £145m a year.

More information about O2 and the Fight for Fairer Ticketing campaign available at www.stampittout.co.uk.

Today (24 April) O2, the telecoms company which sponsors 20 leading live music venues in the UK and sells over 1.7 million tickets each year via Priority, is taking its Fight for Fairer Ticketing campaign to parliament and calling on the government to swiftly implement its ban on the resale of live events tickets for profit, which was promised in November 2025 but remains without a date.

Gareth Griffiths, Director, Partnerships and Sponsorship at Virgin Media O2, commented: “The government said it would put fans first, but concertgoers have been fleeced by an estimated £60 million since it made its promise to ban ticket touts. At a time when every pound means more than ever to British households, UK music fans simply can’t afford to wait any longer. O2 urges the government to follow through on its promise to ban ticket touting and ensure new legislation is included in the forthcoming King’s Speech session.”

Adam Webb, Campaign Manager, FanFair Alliance, added: “This is a stark reminder of the true cost of ticket touting and its impact on the UK economy. If the Government truly intends to put fans first, then long-promised legislation to cap resale prices must be included in the King’s Speech. A failure to deliver on that manifesto commitment would be devastating, encouraging exploitative touts and under-regulated offshore resale websites to continue fleecing British audiences.”

Research from O2 shows that music fans are ripped off by an extra £145 million every year by ticket touts. A member of the FanFair Alliance since 2017, O2 has long been campaigning for a fairer resale market which permits fans to resell tickets when they can no longer make an event, but prevents anybody from making a profit or being ripped off in the process.

Last year O2 partnered with artists including Dan Smith (Bastille) and Mutya Buena (Sugababes) to raise awareness of the issue, and co-signed a letter to the Prime Minister alongside Coldplay, Dua Lipa and many more artists who are tired of their fans being ripped off by touts.

Now, O2 is calling on the government to act on its promise to eradicate profit-seeking ticket touting for good. A billboard acting as a visual reminder of how much money music fans have lost out on since the government made its promise – estimated to be over £60,000,000 – has been campaigning in Westminster to capture the attention of MPs and urge the implementation of new laws.

Music fans everywhere are being encouraged by O2 to join the campaign and write a letter to their local MP calling for swift action, with more information about how to do so available at www.stampittout.co.uk.