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DOJ Reveals Undisclosed OVG-Ticketmaster Deal in Antitrust Probe
July18
A previously undisclosed financial arrangement between Oak View Group (OVG) and a major ticketing provider—believed to be Ticketmaster—has emerged as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ongoing antitrust investigation into the live entertainment industry
The revelations come as the DOJ pursues a wider antitrust case against Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster, alleging anti-competitive conduct.
The disclosure centers on a non-prosecution agreement reached with OVG on June 5, 2025, and follows the indictment of OVG co-founder and former CEO Tim Leiweke on separate bid-rigging charges.
According to the DOJ, OVG entered into a financial arrangement with the unnamed “Company B,” identified by multiple outlets including Billboard and TicketNews as Ticketmaster.
The deal included $7.5 million in annual “sponsorship payments” and a $20 million upfront payment, tied to ticketing volume across venues managed by OVG360.
Under the terms of the agreement, OVG agreed to advocate for the ticketing company to retain or secure exclusive contracts at venues it managed—without disclosing the financial ties to venue owners. The DOJ states that this lack of transparency breached OVG’s fiduciary duties, as outlined in existing venue management agreements.
The deal, which began in November 2022, covered a 10-year period and affected venues including Austin’s Moody Center, which is also at the center of the DOJ’s bid-rigging allegations against Leiweke. The DOJ investigation determined that between December 2022 and January 2025, OVG employees in some cases recommended ticketing contracts with Company B without disclosing their financial incentives.
The DOJ says the arrangement came to light during a 10-month review of Legends Hospitality’s 2024 acquisition of ASM Global. Communications between Leiweke and then-Legends CEO Shervin Mirhashemi revealed details of the ticketing deal and contributed to the DOJ’s findings.
As part of the non-prosecution agreement, OVG agreed to pay a $15 million fine, implement stronger antitrust compliance measures, and cooperate fully with the DOJ’s investigations. Legends Hospitality also agreed to a $1.5 million settlement.
A spokesperson for Leiweke has denied any wrongdoing, stating that he "will vigorously defend himself and his well-deserved reputation for fairness and integrity."
The new disclosures could have broader implications for the DOJ’s antitrust case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, filed in May 2024. That lawsuit, which now includes 39 states and the District of Columbia, seeks to separate Live Nation from Ticketmaster, arguing that their business practices undermine competition across the live event and ticketing markets.
The DOJ may use the OVG arrangement to illustrate how Ticketmaster’s influence extends beyond its own contracts to include financial incentives that potentially compromise the independence of third-party venue operators.
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