CMA clears Viagogo-Stubhub deal after buyer found for international arm

Viagogo has received the full and final go-ahead for its $4bn acquisition of Stubhub, it emerged on Wednesday, after it found a buyer for its international business.

The Competition and Markets Authority accepted the ticket resale company’s plan to sell its non-North American operations in April, after raising competition concerns in a phase 2 investigation.

It had provisionally blocked the deal in October 2020, saying it could lead to substantially less competition in the ticket resale market, given the two firms have a market share in the UK of around 90% between them.

On Wednesday, the competition watchdog said it had approved US-based private equity firm Digital Fuel Capital as the new owner of Stubhub’s international arm, meaning its investigation into the acquisition would end and the transaction would proceed.

“We are pleased to confirm a buyer for StubHub International has been approved by the UK Competition and Markets Authority,” said Viagogo vice-president of business development Cris Miller in a statement.

“This brings to an end the investigation into the much-anticipated merger of Viagogo and StubHub North America, which is now cleared to proceed.

“We appreciate the CMA’s role in bringing the merger to this conclusion, and we look forward to sharing more details about the integration of the two businesses with our loyal customers and partners very soon.”