Against a backdrop of high-profile ticketing scandals (one of which the CMA has already looked back in anger on), and a summer of eye-watering World Cup ticket prices over the pond, the CMA is stepping in once again to level the playing field for consumers. One practice firmly in its sights is so-called “drip pricing”, where the price you see at first is not the price you ultimately pay.
Following an investigation started in November 2025, the CMA has issued a final infringement notice to StubHub. The CMA found that customers trying to purchase tickets through its website for sports events and music concerts had to pay hidden mandatory fees, such as service and delivery charges. These were added only at the final stage of checkout and were not included in the “base” price, which would constitute drip pricing (an unfair commercial practice under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 “DMCCA)).
- Drip pricing: the CMA concluded that StubHub's practices constituted a form of drip pricing.
- A hefty fine and refunds: the CMA imposed a penalty of £889,200 for the breaches of consumer protection law. Early admission of wrongdoing and willingness to enter settlement allowed StubHub to benefit from a 40% reduction in the fine. Moreover, StubHub will have to refund an approximate total of £590,000 to over 50,000 customers who were affected by the practices.
- Continuing enforcement activity: since the consumer protection drive announced by the CMA in November 2025 to utilise its new enforcement powers under the DMCCA, the CMA has secured more than £1.95 million in refunds for customers and imposed over £5.7 million in fines on companies. The CMA remains active in this area, and is currently investigating another major ticketing industry player, Viagogo, for similar practices as part of this push.
This is a stark reminder to the ticketing industry: as ticket prices continue to attract scrutiny across sport and entertainment, the CMA’s position is clear – consumers should be presented with the total price up front, and suspected non-compliance may prompt investigation. This also comes on top of the government’s proposals announced in November 2025 to implement a cap on the price at which tickets for live events can be re-sold in the UK, and to place obligations on resale platforms to monitor and enforce compliance with the cap.
For further analysis relating to this enforcement case, see our article on the key takeaways from the CMA’s action here.
The Mills & Reeve advertising team will continue to monitor these developments closely. If you would like advice on complying with consumer protection law and pricing transparency requirements, please get in touch with our lawyers.
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