Belgian Government Is Investigating the Pukkelpop Acquisition

Photo Credit: Pukkelpop (Facebook)

The Belgian government has launched an investigation into Live Nation’s acquisition of the country’s Pukkelpop music festival. The probe seeks to determine whether the acquisition could harm competition within Belgium’s live entertainment sector.

The Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) has launched an investigation into Live Nation’s acquisition of the Pukkelpop Festival, per a directive from the Minister for Economic Affairs. The inquiry aims to determine whether the acquisition could harm competition within the country’s broader live entertainment and festival sectors.

Pukkelpop is held annually in Kiewit near Hasselt, and is one of Belgium’s five largest music festivals, drawing around 250,000 attendees every summer.

Live Nation, as a global force in live entertainment, operates across multiple areas of Belgium’s live event industry, including artist management, event organization, venue operation, and ticketing services.

Currently, according to the BCA, Live Nation already manages some of Belgium’s most prominent festivals, including Rock Werchter, Dour, and Graspop. It also oversees major venues like the AFAS Dome, Trixxo Arena, Forest National, Lotto Arena, and Capitole Gent.

The BCA’s investigation will examine the potential impact of Live Nation’s acquisition on competition in the organization of large-scale music events, as well as its broader influence in the live entertainment sector.

The process will be carried out independently by the BCA’s Prosecution and Investigation Service. Further, the BCA noted that the inquiry will be conducted under Belgian and European competition laws, which prohibit anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominant market positions. Specifically, the BCA cites Articles IV.1 and IV.2 of the Code of Economic Law, and Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

Notably, the BCA stressed that the investigation does not predetermine Live Nation’s guilt. The company will be given the opportunity to be “fully involved” in the proceedings, according to a statement from the BCA.

The deal is the latest to draw scrutiny under antitrust laws, following a ruling by the EU’s top court that endorsed regulators looking into Live Nation’s planned takeover of smaller companies throughout Europe. That comes amid further scrutiny from U.S. regulators over the continued marriage of Live Nation and Ticketmaster.