Antitrust experts in the US reckon that the UK Competition Commission's report last week raising concerns about the proposed Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger makes it more likely that US authorities will also impose conditions on any joining of the two live entertainment giants.
As previously reported, the UK Competition Commission last week raised concerns about the LiveMaster proposals. Most of those concerns revolved around a complaint made by German ticketing giant CTS Eventim, who recently entered into a ticketing partnership with Live Nation, and who were planning on using that partnership as a platform for entering the UK ticketing market for the first time. CTS seem to be saying that if Live Nation and Ticketmaster merge they won't launch in the UK. That, of course, would result in less choice for UK music fans.
Although UK officials' concerns related mainly to an issue specific to the British market, it's known that competition authorities in the UK and US have been communicating on this issue, and it's thought the former's concerns will influence the latter. Kevin Arquit, an antitrust lawyer and former director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau Of Competition, told Billboard that while the US was in no way obliged to follow the lead of their UK counterparts: "The fact that the UK regulators acted puts the US more on the spot".
The UK authority is looking into measures Live Nation and Ticketmaster could take in order to alleviate their fears that a combined Live Master would be anti-competitive, and it's thought US officials may insist on similar action. That is likely to include selling off some businesses in some territories, or committing to sell a certain portion of tickets for a certain number of Live Nation tours and events through rival ticketing agencies.