Ticketmaster to Limit Broker Accounts, Restrict TradeDesk

Ticketmaster, facing an FTC lawsuit alleging tacit collusion with scalpers and violations of the BOTS Act, told Senators Marsha Blackburn and Ben Ray Luján it will bar fans and brokers from operating multiple accounts, require unique taxpayer IDs or Social Security numbers for resellers, and use AI-based identity-verification tools to cancel excess accounts. The company said it will remove or limit TradeDesk’s ticket-management functionality and cap how many tickets brokers can post on its resale marketplace to curb automated harvesting. Live Nation EVP Daniel Wall called the FTC’s claims categorically false, argued brokers’ multi-account behavior predates Ticketmaster’s entry into the secondary market, and said resales represent a small share of revenue. The measures are intended to boost consumer confidence and reduce fraudulent activity amid scrutiny over high resale prices. The policy shift comes as Live Nation also faces parallel legal pressure from a 2024 DOJ lawsuit seeking to break up the company.