PRESS RELEASE

A LESS THAN SPICY RETURN

New figures show that the Spice Girls haven’t lived up to the hype

London, 14 January 2008, The Spice Girls reunion tour has arguably been one of the most hyped up events of 2007 with acres of coverage of inflated ticket prices, glamorous outfits, cat-fights and sprained ankles. However, new figures released today from the UK’s largest online fan-to-fan ticket exchange, Seatwave, cut through the spin and reveal that fans’ enthusiasm for Girl Power has not lived up to expectations.

Many tickets for the girls’ 17 night run at London’s O2 arena have been selling below face value on the secondary market, with Seatwave reporting tickets selling for as much as 33% less than face value. Nine of the 17 dates (53%) saw some tickets sell for less than originally paid; revealing only tepid demand for what was supposedly the biggest reunion tour of the year.

Joe Cohen, CEO of Seatwave commented:

“The spice has really gone out of the Spice Girls on the secondary market, with many fans unwilling to pay face value for what were supposed to be the hottest tickets in town. This may come as a surprise to many people who think that fan-to-fan exchanges drive up prices, whereas in reality the opposite is often true. 30% of the tickets on our site sell at, or below face-value, meaning that fans often get a really good deal.”

The cheapest ticket for the Spice Girls was sold for £42.99, and the cheapest nights still to see their show are the 16th and 18th January.

News that tickets on Seatwave are frequently being sold to fans below face value follows the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s report on ticket touting published last week. The Committee endorsed the benefits of the secondary market which provides “lower prices for consumers”.

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For further information please contact

Claire Thom or Louise Rutter
Portland
T. 020 7404 5344
E. /

About Seatwave>Seatwave is the UK’s largest fan-to-fan ticket exchange, an online marketplace for buying and selling tickets for theatre, sports, music and other live events. The company was launched in February 2007 by Joe Cohen, ex Ticketmaster and ex match.com and early stage Venture Capital firm, Atlas Venture. Seatwave has more than 500,000 tickets on sale at any one time, 25 times more than eBay.

Seatwave guarantees that tickets come only from legitimate sources and will represent them accurately and honestly. Seatwave operates two types of customer protection. Ticketintegrity™ guarantees that buyers will receive the tickets they ordered and in good time for the event. If not Seatwave refunds 150% of what was paid. All tickets bought on Seatwave are also covered by Ticketcover™ This provides for a full refund if an event is cancelled and even covers buyers for a range of circumstances that may prevent them from attending their performance. The company is based in London. www.seatwave.com

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