NATB Applauds Action of UK Antitrust Enforcer to Block Ticketmaster/LiveNation Merger

WASHINGTON -

The National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB), the non-profit trade association dedicated to protecting consumers and the secondary ticket market, today released the following statement applauding the action of the Office of Fair Trading, the antitrust enforcement agency in the UK, to block the Ticketmaster/LiveNation merger, and urging US officials to follow their lead.

“It doesn’t matter what side of the pond you’re on, this merger is harmful to consumers because it restricts choice and competition in the market,” said Gary Adler, General Counsel to the NATB. “The decision in the UK should serve as a model for US antitrust enforcers. If the merger violates UK law, it certainly must violate the law in the US where Ticketmaster is even more of a dominant force.”

“The UK antitrust authorities recognized this merger would lead to higher prices and less choice for consumers,” Adler continued. “They found that combining these two corporate giants would create an effective stranglehold in the UK ticketing market - which is exactly what would happen if this merger is allowed here in the US.”

For more information on NATB and consumer protection efforts, please visit www.NATB.org.

About the National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB)

The National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB) was formed in 1994 by a group of leading ticket brokers involved in the sale of sports, concerts and theater admission tickets, for the purpose of establishing an industry-wide standard of conduct and to create ethical rules and procedures to educate the public concerning ticket-brokering services and to serve the primary goal of the NATB — promoting consumer protection. All members of the NATB are dedicated to the principle of assuring the public that dealings with NATB members are conducted with integrity, reliability and convenience. To this end, the NATB has created procedures that permit the public to report improper and unethical conduct by ticket brokers, and to disseminate consumer protection warnings and guidelines. Through self-governance, the NATB has provided many enhanced protections for ticket-buying consumers. The NATB has worked with law enforcement agencies across the country, state and federal legislators and the NFL and other professional sports leagues and teams, to accomplish these goals, and has been vital in the NFL’s fight against counterfeit and stolen tickets.

More information about the NATB is available at www.NATB.org.

About NATB’s Ticket MarketPlace

NATB offers its “Ticket MarketPlace” site as a resource for the public to purchase tickets directly from a reliable source. All tickets available on this site are for sale only by NATB Member Brokers, assuring the consumer that the tickets being purchased are from a source that provides consumer protection, confidence, and a written guarantee as provided by the NATB’s strict Code of Ethics.

To access the NATB Ticket Marketplace, please visit www.NATB.com.

Source: National Association of Ticket Brokers

Shannon Flaherty, +1-202-347-6762, for NATB