Britain’s competition regulator has secured formal commitments from Ticketmaster to ensure customers have the information they need when they buy tickets from the entertainment and event group’s platform, the watchdog has said.

Thousands of fans waited for hours online to get their hands on tickets for British band Oasis’s reunion shows this summer, only to find prices had jumped by the time they got to the front of the queue.

Fans will now be told the range of prices for concert tickets when they join a queue, and be informed when the cheaper seats sell out.

Buyers will also be told at least 24 hours before a sale begins if tiered pricing will be used and what that means, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said.

The competition regulator said the formal commitments from Ticketmaster would “make sure fans have the information they need when they spend their hard-earned cash to see the artists they love”.

The moves follow the CMA’s investigation into the way Ticketmaster sold Oasis tickets in 2024.

The probe found Ticketmaster did not tell fans waiting in lengthy queues that standing tickets were being sold at two different prices, and that prices would jump as soon as the cheap tickets sold out.

Ticketmaster sold some ‘platinum’ tickets at almost two and a half times the price of ‘standard’ tickets, without sufficient explanation that these offered no additional benefits in the same areas of the venue, the CMA said.

In response, the CMA said Ticketmaster must now tell fans 24 hours in advance if a tiered pricing system is being used – as it was for Oasis standing tickets.

This means fans will know beforehand if there are multiple prices for the same type of ticket, and that more expensive ones will be released once the cheapest sell out.

Ticketmaster must also provide more information about ticket prices during online queues, helping fans anticipate how much they might have to pay.

This includes setting out the range of prices available for the event when people join the queue and updating fans swiftly when the cheaper tickets sell out.

Ticketmaster must also describe tickets accurately and not use any misleading labels to avoid giving the impression that one ticket is better than another when that is not the case.

Ticketmaster must now regularly report how it has implemented the undertakings over the next two years to ensure “robust” compliance, with any failure to do so resulting in possible enforcement action.

While many fans were under the impression that Ticketmaster used an algorithmic pricing model during the Oasis sale – with ticket prices adjusted in real time according to changing conditions such as high demand – also known as ‘dynamic pricing’, the CMA had not found evidence that this was the case.

“Fans who spend their hard-earned money to see artists they love deserve to see clear, accurate information, upfront,” said CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell.

“We can’t ensure every fan gets a ticket for events as popular as the Oasis tour, but we can help ensure that next time an event like this comes along, fans have the information they need, when they need it.

“The changes we’ve secured will give fans more information about prices and clear descriptions of exactly what they are getting for their money. If Ticketmaster fails to deliver on these changes, we won’t hesitate to take further action.”

The CMA said Ticketmaster had made the commitments voluntarily and without any admission of wrongdoing or liability.

Additional reporting by Reuters

The Paris criminal court found former French president Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case related to the provision of millions of euros in illegal financing from late Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi for his successful 2007 presidential bid.

Prosecutors alleged that Sarkozy, who has always denied the charges, made a deal with Gaddafi in 2005, when he was France’s interior minister, to obtain campaign financing in exchange for supporting the then-isolated Libyan government on the international stage.

Judge Nathalie Gavarino said Sarkozy, as a serving minister and party leader at the time, had “allowed his close collaborators and political supporters over whom he had authority and who acted in his name”, to approach the Libyan authorities “in order to obtain or attempt to obtain financial support”.

The court’s ruling however did not follow the conclusion of prosecutors that Sarkozy was the alleged beneficiary of the illegal campaign financing.

The 70-year-old, who was present in court accompanied by his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, has been on trial since January on charges of “concealing the embezzlement of public funds, passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime”.

He has already been convicted in two separate cases.

The right-wing politician, who was president of France from 2007 to 2012, was acquitted of all other charges including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing.

The ruling is ongoing and sentencing is due to be announced later in the hearing, with prosecutors requesting a seven-year prison term.

At issue is a murky affair alleged to involve Libyan spies, a convicted terrorist, arms dealers and allegations that Gaddafi provided Sarkozy’s campaign with millions of euros shipped to Paris in suitcases.

Sarkozy had said the case is politically motivated.

Two former close aides were also convicted. His former right-hand man Claude Gueant was found guilty of passive corruption and falsification while former minister Brice Hortefeux was found guilty of criminal conspiracy.

Eric Woerth, Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign treasurer, was acquitted.

Investigators alleged he made a corrupt pact with the Libyan government.

Despite lingering legal headaches, and having his Legion of Honour, France’s highest distinction, stripped in June, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the French political stage.