Liberty Media CEO blames demand from 14 million users, including bots, for Taylor Swift ticket mess

Now we got atrocious bots.

The CEO of Liberty Media, Live Nation's largest shareholder, defended the lawsuit promoter against calls that it should beryllium breached up pursuing a tempest of glitches and tract failures during Ticketmaster presales this week for Taylor Swift's upcoming tour.

Live Nation is sympathetic to fans who couldn't get tickets, Greg Maffei said connected CNBC's "Squawk connected the Street" Thursday. "It's a relation of Taylor Swift. The tract was expected to unfastened up for 1.5 cardinal verified Taylor Swift fans. We had 14 cardinal radical deed the site, including bots, which are not expected to beryllium there."

Maffei said Ticketmaster sold much than 2 cardinal tickets connected Tuesday and request for Swift "could person filled 900 stadiums."

"This exceeded each expectation," helium said, explaining that overmuch of the request was centered connected the information that Swift has not toured since 2018's "Reputation" stadium tour.

Liberty Media owns stakes successful a immense array of media and amusement interests. On Thursday, it announced that it would split disconnected the Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves into an asset-backed stock. Liberty besides said it would make a caller banal called Liberty Live, which volition see its involvement successful Live Nation.

Live Nation, which merged with Ticketmaster successful 2010, has faced longstanding criticisms astir its size and powerfulness successful the amusement industry. People amplified their complaints this week erstwhile tickets for Taylor Swift upcoming Eras circuit went connected presale connected Ticketmaster's website. The institution was forced to widen presales after fans flocked to the site, causing tract disruptions and dilatory queues.

Maffei besides defended Live Nation against lawmaker and activistic concerns that Ticketmaster and Live Nation are abusing their marketplace power. One staunch objector to the company's decade's-old merger has been Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y, who tweeted Tuesday that Live Nation and Ticketmaster should beryllium breached up.

"Though AOC whitethorn not similar each constituent of our business, interestingly, AEG, our competitor, who is the promoter for Taylor Swift, chose to usage america because, successful reality, we are the largest and astir effectual summons seller successful the world," Maffei said. "Even our competitors privation to travel connected our platform."

Activists reason that due to the fact that Live Nation controls 70% of the ticketing and unrecorded lawsuit venues market, competitors person small prime connected wherever to merchantability their tickets and person called connected the Department of Justice to reverse the 2010 merger.