Ticket resale website Viagogo's merger with rival StubHub could lead to higher prices for concert fans and other customers, the market regulator has warned.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it found concerns over the"loss of competition" if the proposed deal was to go ahead, owing to the popularity and dominance of the two websites. Viagogo and StubHub are the UK's two largest secondary ticketing firms and hold more than 80% of the country's market share, the CMA said.After looking into evidence from third parties and the companies' internal documents, the CMA found that Viagogo and StubHub were"close competitors in an already very concentrated market with limited alternatives"
Its phase one investigation also found that prices for tickets sold on the websites could rise as a result of the merger, after consulting with consumer groups, customers and competitors.Andrea Gomes da Silva, CMA's executive director for markets and mergers, said:"Viagogo is already the largest secondary ticketing company in the UK by some considerable margin and has purchased an established rival, with no other significant competitors in the market.
"We are therefore concerned that this transaction could lead to customers losing out through higher prices, less innovation and a lack of real choice."
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