Millions offered cut-price tickets for T in the Park

Scots fans enjoy the music. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

Millions of customers with mobile phone giant O2 have been offered a “two for the price of one” deal for tickets for T in the Park – less than a month before the event is due to be held.

A promotion with festival agents Ticketmaster, which was open to anyone in the UK, included the main three-day (Friday) weekend tickets with camping, which have been on sale for months for £194.

It is believed to be the first time that T in the Park tickets have been on sale on such a basis via any official outlets in the 22-year history of the event.

Music industry insiders said the unprecedented move is a “clear sign” the event is struggling to sell tickets.

Promoters DF Concerts have already launched a free bus travel promotion to help boost ticket sales for the three-day event. Thousands of day and weekend tickets for the festival, which was forced to relocate to a controversial new site last year, are still thought to be available.

O2 said it could not discuss financial arrangements it has with event organisers over any offers or deals on its site.

More than 15,000 tickets for last year’s event, at the Strathallan Estate, in Perthshire, went unsold following prolonged uncertainty over whether the event would secure planning permission.

The festival’s capacity has already been slashed to 70,000 a day – down from 85,000 – after last year’s event was dogged by problems with traffic congestion, overcrowding in the arena and antisocial behaviour.

Organisers have also unveiled an overhaul of transport and security arrangements, as well as a shake-up in the senior management team

However, the offer has left fans of the event unimpressed – particularly those who have forked out full price to secure their place at the festival, which will be headlined by The Stone Roses, Calvin Harris and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

One fan posted: “I’d have taken this offer, but unfortunately we bought our tickets ages ago. It is getting annoying now paying full price when tickets are so cheap and TITP gave away bus tickets.”

One music industry source said: “It’s quite worrying that this has happened for the first time with T in the Park tickets. You simply don’t do anything like this unless an event is not selling well.

“It might generate a few hundred extra sales but it also runs the risk of annoying people who paid full price for their tickets months ago.”

A spokeswoman for T in the Park said the discounted tickets were only made available through O2’s website for a limited 48-hour period, but could not confirm how many had been secured by the company for the offer.

The T in the Park offer on O2’s website stated: “When you buy your ticket for T in the Park get a second ticket on us. Make sure to check back for other offers coming soon.”

A spokesman for O2 said: “Our 2 for 1 ticket offer for T in the Park was an exclusive deal for our customers where customers purchased one ticket and we gifted an additional ticket. Any details on the arrangements and the agreements we have in place with promoters and organisers are commercially sensitive.”

T in the Park said: “This was not our ticket offer. It was by O2, for their customers”