Channel 4 claims to reveal hidden practices used by live event promoters and a major ‘fan-to-fan' ticket exchange

Channel 4 Dispatches programme has defeated an injunction in the High Court today (Wednesday 22nd February) and can now reveal an important public interest investigation into how real fans are paying the price for hidden practices used by live event promoters and a major ‘fan-to-fan ticket exchange'.

Dispatches, which will air tomorrow night (Channel 4 on Thursday 23rd February 2012 at 9PM), went undercover inside one of the UK's biggest ticket reselling websites - Viagogo - and found that major promoters allocate hundreds or even thousands of tickets to be sold through their website at well above the face value.

Tickets for recent gigs and tours by Coldplay, Rihanna, Westlife, Take That, and V Festival have been allocated by the promoters in this way.

The application for an injunction was brought by Viagogo on the grounds of ‘breach of confidence' and it was dismissed on all counts at the High Court today.

A Channel 4 spokesperson says: "We are pleased that we can now broadcast in full a programme of important public interest. It is disappointing that having provided Viagogo with a fair opportunity to respond to the allegations uncovered by our investigation several weeks ago, they chose instead to seek an injunction which would have effectively stopped the broadcast of our programme."

‘The Great Ticket Scandal: Dispatches' - Channel 4 on Thursday 23rd February 2012 at 9pm