O2 and the Fight for Fairer Ticketing

With UK music fans routinely exploited by touts, bots and inflated resale prices – and trust in live events ticketing breaking point – O2 stepped forward with a bold, evidence-led and culturally resonant campaign to fight for fairer ticketing.

Across the year, O2 ran a sustained, insight-led lobbying campaign that fused public affairs, cultural advocacy and fan mobilisation. We kept up a consistent drumbeat of activity while landing major moments that pushed government, industry and public sentiment forward.

We mobilised fans through Stamp It Tout, fronted by Bastille’s Dan Smith, and turned The O2 into a civic hub via our ‘Consultation Station’. We built cultural traction with Nicholas Daley’s ‘Touts Out’ tee, amplified by artists and influencers reaching more than 7 million people. And we showed up where it mattered – becoming the only telco at DBT/DCMS Ministerial roundtables and the APPG on Ticket Abuse.

In November, O2 joined a high-profile joint letter to government penned by Which?, music industry bodies and artists including Dua Lipa and Coldplay, generating hundreds of pieces of coverage and national momentum. Less than a week later, the Government announced a forthcoming ban on ticket touting – crediting O2 twice in its official statement.

The campaign more than doubled public awareness of O2’s work on fairer ticketing in just 13 months, delivered a 10% increase in association with accessible tickets, and firmly positioned O2 as the leading corporate voice on ticketing reform – and the music fan’s champion.