Rights-holders

Ticketmaster’s decision to close its secondary ticketing platforms Seatwave and GetMeIn looks like a response to hardening of the political and legislative stance on secondary ticketing sites in Britain and Ireland. Ben Cronin examines what it means for rights-holders.

ESP Properties was launched in June 2015 as WPP’s attempt to create a sports marketing major to challenge the likes of IMG. Last year, its UK team was absorbed by its Two Circles division. In July 2018, its US operations were sold off. GroupM, the WPP subsidiary which created ESP, doesn’t see this as a failure or retrenchment. Some rivals and independent sponsorship experts have a different view.