Music Unknown persons try to make money with accumulated ESC tickets

The shows at the Eurovision Song Contest are in high demand. That's why profiteers hope to make a quick buck by buying up lots of tickets. The organizers are making life difficult for them as best they can.

Before the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), unknown profiteers are apparently trying to make money by buying up tickets en masse. Hundreds of thousands of "fake accounts" have been used to pre-register for tickets for the shows in Basel next May, i.e. accounts that cannot be assigned to a real person. Thomas Pittino, Head of Marketing at the ESC, told SRF.

A total of almost 500,000 registrations have been received. However, there are only around 50,000 to 60,000 seats available for visitors at the nine planned shows. "You have to assume that between a third and half of the registrations are bots, i.e. fake accounts," said Pittino. These will now be filtered out.

Registration expires today, January 10, at midnight. Those who are successfully registered will be able to buy their first tickets from 10.00 a.m. on January 29. They cost between 40 and 350 francs.

SRF is organizing the song competition this year because Nemo won for Switzerland last year. As things stand at present, 38 countries are taking part. The final will take place on May 17 in Basel's St. Jakobshalle.

SDA