US Federal Trade Commission to Ban Hidden Ticket Fees

The FTC estimates that the Junk Fees Rule will save consumers up to 53 million hours annually of time wasted searching for the total price of tickets — time amounting to an estimated $11 billion USD over the next decade.

Of course, the rule notably won't go into effect until well into the next term, so the incoming administration could most definitely scrap it. It's also worth noting that Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation responded to complaints about price transparency by implementing an all-in pricing model in September 2023, resulting in a reported eight percent sales increase between then and May 2024 [via NME].

Earlier this year, the US Department of Justice called for the breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, accusing the conglomerate of "maintain[ing] a monopoly" on the live entertainment industry after the Senate subpoenaed the parent company for documents pertaining to pricing and service fees. Here in Canada, Cineplex recently announced that it would make online ticket fees more obvious for moviegoers amid appealing a $38.9 million CAD fine for deceptive marketing practices.