Consumers' Research Thursday launched a seven-figure ad series in the days leading up to and during the Major League Baseball's All-Star game to target the league and Ticketmaster, accusing them of going "woke" and focusing on political narratives rather than fans by opposing voting bills in Georgia and other states.
"MLB decided to play politics instead of ball, moving the All-Star game from Atlanta and parroting dishonest and partisan talking points, resulting in millions of dollars lost for many hardworking Americans," Consumers' Research Executive Director Will Hild said in a Thursday statement, reports Fox Business.
The ads are to run nationally on both cable and digital markets, as well as in local markets where the companies have their headquarters.
The Ticketmaster ad is also airing at a time when advertising for concerts and shows, which are returning after being shut down in 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic, are increasing.
Consumers' Research also has called out American Airlines, Nike, and Coca-Cola after they opposed Georgia's voting law and accused the companies of putting politics before their customers.
In April, Major League Baseball pulled its All-Star game out of Atlanta over Georgia's Election Integrity Act of 2021. Critics say pulling the game out of Georgia could cause businesses in the Atlanta area to lose $100 million.
The ad spotlighting the baseball league accuses MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred of making baseball "political."
Hild, meanwhile, said Ticketmaster went "woke" after parent company Live Nation Entertainment was one of 500 companies and corporate leaders who signed an ad from the Black Economic Alliance opposing pending voting bills in 47 states. He also slammed Ticketmaster's service and convenience fees which add to prices for tickets purchased online while pointing out that Live Nation and Ticketmaster CEO Michael Rapino made about $1.7 million in 2020 even though Rapino gave up his salary for two months during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to SEC filings reported by Billboard.
Hild further noted that Ticketmaster has agreed to pay a "criminal fine for hacking their competitors, referring to a $10 million fine levied against the company this past December to resolve charges that the ticket vendor repeatedly used passwords to access a competitor's computer systems without authorization.
"Instead of cozying up to woke politicians on issues they do not understand, they should focus on serving customers better, and competing in the market without committing felonies," Hild said.
Meanwhile, a group of Democrat lawmakers sent a letter in April to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Trade Commission Chairperson Lina Khan calling for an investigation of Ticketmaster and Live Nation over what they called unfair selling practices.
"The evidence is overwhelming that the 2010 merger between the world’s largest concert promoter, Live Nation, and the biggest ticket provider, Ticketmaster, has strangled competition in live entertainment ticketing and harmed consumers and must be revisited," the lawmakers, led by Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., wrote.