CHOICE Names Ticketek and Ticketmaster in 2026 Shonky Awards
Ticketek and Ticketmaster have been named in CHOICE's 2026 Shonky Awards, the Australian consumer group's yearly list of businesses it says have let shoppers down. The announcement was made on 4 November 2026.
CHOICE chief executive Monique Perry said the two ticketing companies were responsible for "fleecing fans." The group accused both of gouging consumers during a cost-of-living squeeze, a period when rising prices are hitting household budgets hard.
CHOICE said both companies used tactics that push live-event prices higher. Among them were dynamic pricing, where prices move with demand, and "in demand" tickets, which are sold at a premium. The group also cited ticket prices being hidden until sale day and strict time limits for buying, which it said pressure fans into quick decisions.
As an example, CHOICE pointed to fans of a John Farnham tribute concert on Ticketek, who faced prices of up to A$1,650 (about US$1,153).
Ticketek said that A$1,650 ticket was an "Ultimate" premium seat kept outside dynamic pricing, and that it made up less than 1% of tickets available. It said fewer than 7% of tickets for the event were affected by variable pricing, with about 3.7% of seats rising in price and 3.3% falling. It said upwards of 92% of tickets sold at their original, fixed price. The company added that artists, promoters or event organisers set ticket prices, and that variable pricing is used only when they choose it.
Ticketmaster told Billboard that event organisers, not Ticketmaster, set ticket prices. It said it does not use surge pricing or algorithms that raise prices automatically in response to real-time demand. It also said "in demand" prices are set by organisers, closer to market value, and do not rise simply because more fans join a queue.
The consumer group's other 2026 picks cover very different ground. CHOICE named Virgin Australia in connection with $75 million in unused flight credits, the value of tickets customers have paid for but not yet used. It also gave a Shonky to a washer-dryer that takes 25 hours to complete a cycle.
Sony Interactive Entertainment received an award described by CHOICE as being for asking consumers to pay to play, but not to own.
CHOICE has handed out Shonky Awards for decades. It gave one to the resale site Viagogo in 2017 over practices affecting consumers, so ticket resale has been on its radar for some time.
For anyone buying tickets, the practical points CHOICE raised are the ones to watch: whether a price can change before checkout, and how long the purchase window stays open. Both ticketing companies have pushed back on the claims in the statements quoted above.
