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Ticketmaster has cancelled ticket sales for the US leg of Taylor Swift’s tour due to “insufficient ticket inventory” to meet “extraordinarily high demands”.

General ticket sales for Swift’s Eras Tour, her first in five years, were planned to open on Friday morning.

But Ticketmaster tweeted on Thursday evening that due to “extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand”, Friday’s sale has been cancelled.

The decision comes days after the presale for the tour caused the site to crash, leaving many fans frustrated and unable to get tickets.

The ticket company had previously asked fans on Twitter to be patient as “millions” tried to buy tickets in the presale, causing “historically unprecedented demand”.

Swift’s fans, known as Swifties, have criticised the company on social media after encountering long wait times and site outages during the presales for the tour which opened on Tuesday.

Fans reported waiting in online queues for up to eight hours, with many finding they were too late to purchase tickets, which cost between $49 (£41) and $449 (£377) each.

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In a statement on Thursday, Ticketmaster said it had anticipated heavy demand for tickets, adding that a record 3.5 million people had registered as verified fans.

The company said it had planned to invite 1.5 million of those to participate in the sale for all 52 show dates, including the 47 sold by Ticketmaster, with the other 2 million placed on a waiting list.

But the plan, it said, was undermined by attacks by “bots” – automated software requests – and demand from those who had not previously registered.

“The staggering number of bot attacks as well as fans who didn’t have invite codes drove unprecedented traffic on our
site, resulting in 3.5 billion total system requests – 4x our previous peak,” Ticketmaster said.

“Never before has a Verified Fan on sale sparked so much attention – or uninvited volume.”

There was one big winner of the night - Taylor Swift - taking home four MTV EMA awards
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Swift took home four MTV EMA awards this year

Ticketmaster, which overwhelmingly dominates the ticketing industry, has for years left fans and artists frustrated by hidden fees, soaring costs, and limited tickets availability due to presales.

In a letter to Ticketmaster parent Live Nation Entertainment Inc this week, Senator Amy Klobuchar voiced “serious concern about the state of competition in the ticketing industry and its harmful impact on consumers”.

Swift has not publicly commented on the matter.

The American leg of the 32-year-old singer’s tour will kick off on 18 March in Glendale, Arizona and end in August.

Swift will be joined by a number of artists during the tour including bands Paramore and Haim, and solo artists like Phoebe Bridgers.

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Swift’s latest album Midnights, released in October, claimed the biggest first week of album sales since Adele’s 30 was released last November.

It also took the title of the most streamed album of the year in its opening week with 72.5 million streams across the seven days.

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Harry and Meghan extend Netflix partnership – but it’s no longer exclusive

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Harry and Meghan extend Netflix partnership - but it's no longer exclusive

Harry and Meghan have signed a new “multi-year, first-look deal” with Netflix, following the deal they struck with the streaming giant five years ago.

Described by the Sussexes as “extending their creative partnership”, while the news quashes rumours the relationship might not be renewed, it would appear to be a less prestigious deal than their first.

With Love, Meghan, has a second season out later this month. Pic: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix
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With Love, Meghan, has a second season out later this month. Pic: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix

As a “first-look deal” rather than an overall deal, the entertainment giant will be able to say yes or no to their content before anyone else, but they will not be under an obligation to stream it.

Several US outlets have suggested it is a downgrade from the Sussexes’ previous contract, which saw the streaming giant pay for exclusive rights for the content and was thought to be worth more than $100m (£74m).

British PR expert Mark Borkowski described the deal as a “downgrade” and suggested Netflix was “pivoting away” from Harry and Meghan.

Read more: Some call the deal a demotion – but the company still sees them as a power couple

Harry and Meghan set up their media company, Archewell Productions, after quitting as senior working royals in 2020.

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Their partnership with Netflix had promised documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows and children’s television, but has so far only delivered documentaries and docuseries.

These include Harry & Meghan, a six-part series about their departure from the royal household, which is Netflix’s fifth most popular series of all time, and most recently, the lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, which is the streamer’s most-watched culinary show since its release earlier this year.

Speaking about the new deal, Meghan said: “We’re proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the As ever brand.”

As ever is Meghan’s lifestyle brand, launched in 2024, and rebranded this year, selling products including jams, shortbread and wine.

Meghan went on: “My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally and celebrates our shared vision.”

(R-L) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Mindy Kaling. Pic: Netflix
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(R-L) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Mindy Kaling. Pic: Netflix

Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria called the Sussexes “influential voices” and said their stories “resonate with audiences everywhere”.

New output includes the second season of With Love Meghan later this month, and a Christmas special in December.

Archewell Productions is also working on a documentary about orphaned children in Uganda’s Masaka region, an area heavily hit by the HIV/AIDS crisis, titled Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within, and is developing a feature adaptation of the bestselling romantic novel by Carley Fortune, Meet Me At The Lake.

It comes as Harry has cut ties with his Sentebale charity but has said he still intends to do what he can to help young people in Lesotho, Botswana and Southern Africa.

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Some call the Sussexes’ Netflix deal a demotion – but the company still sees them as a power couple

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Some call the Sussexes' Netflix deal a demotion - but the company still sees them as a power couple

While we’re all desperate to know what this new deal is really worth in dollars and pounds, one thing I can tell you for certain is that Prince Harry and Meghan want us to know they’re delighted that Netflix again wanted to get a deal done.

“Absolutely over the moon” is how it was described to me.

But they’ll also be aware of the attention it’ll attract as we all try to pick apart what it means.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Pic: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Pic: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix

Firstly because of that ongoing fascination in how they’re making money since stepping away from royal life and losing financial support from the King, but also because of the recent reports that Netflix were intending to cut ties.

Yes this is a different type of deal from their original one in 2020. Some have argued that a “first look deal” looks like a demotion from what they previously signed up to.

With no real clarity on how much their original deal was worth, and no numbers being publicly thrown around this time, that is hard to judge.

But talking to those who know something about these kinds of deals you do get a sense it could potentially be more lucrative than it looks on face value.

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With first look deals, yes there is often financial commitments from the likes of Netflix to get that first exclusive look at projects and first refusal.

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Harry claims: War of words continues

But there could be other significant monetary incentives for the Sussexes to sign.

For example, when the Obamas signed a first look deal with Netflix, the streaming service agreed to pay the operational costs for their production company “Higher Ground”.

Could it be that Netflix are also now covering the costs of Archewell Productions?

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It’s stating the obvious to say that Harry and Meghan continue to divide opinions, some wanting to watch their programmes from a place of respect and fondness, others as a reason to grumble about them.

But signing on this latest dotted line shows Netflix still sees them as a power couple, who attract significant attention and are worthy of investment, whatever that really adds up to.

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Mandalorian actor Gina Carano settles lawsuit with Disney – and thanks Elon Musk for funding it

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Mandalorian actor Gina Carano settles lawsuit with Disney – and thanks Elon Musk for funding it

Actor Gina Carano has settled her lawsuit with Disney and Lucasfilm after claiming she was wrongfully dismissed from The Mandalorian for expressing her political opinions.

Carano was fired in February 2021 after starring as Rebel ranger Cara Dune in two series of the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian.

According to court documents, it came after the 41-year-old referenced the Nazis’ treatment of Jewish people while discussing current political differences in the US.

At the time, production company Lucasfilm said in a statement that her “social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable”.

But late on Thursday, she posted on X: “I have come to an agreement with Disney/Lucasfilm which I believe is the best outcome for all parties involved.”

She added that she “hopes this brings some healing to the force”.

The details of the financial settlement have not been disclosed.

When filing her lawsuit at the Californian District Court last year, she had sought $75,000 (£59,000) in damages.

She also thanked Elon Musk for financing the lawsuit, despite the two having never met.

“I want to extend my deepest most heartfelt gratitude to Elon Musk, a man I’ve never met, who did this Good Samaritan deed for me in funding my lawsuit,” she wrote in her post. “Thank you Mr. Musk and X for backing my case and asking for nothing in return.”

The X owner is an ardent advocate of free speech and has funded similar legal battles previously.

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Carano as Cara Dune.'The Mandalorian'. Pic: Lucasfilm/Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock
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Carano as Cara Dune.’The Mandalorian’. Pic: Lucasfilm/Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock

Carano signed off: “I am excited to flip the page and move onto the next chapter.

“My desires remain in the arts, which is where I hope you will join me. Yes, I’m smiling. From my heart to yours, Gina.”

In response to the settlement, Lucasfilm said in a statement: “Ms Carano was always well respected by her directors, co-stars, and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect.

“With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.”

In legal documents, Carano’s team claimed both Disney and Lucasfilm had “targeted, harassed, publicly humiliated, defamed, and went to great lengths to destroy Carano’s career”.

She also alleged she was treated differently to her male colleagues. Neither company commented on these claims.

Pic: Lucasfilm/Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock
Image:
Pic: Lucasfilm/Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock

Lawyer Gene Schaerr, managing partner at Schaerr Jaffe, said at the time: “Disney bullied Ms Carano, trying to force her to conform to their views about cultural and political issues, and when that bullying failed, they fired her.

“Punishing employees for their speech on political or social issues is illegal under California law.”

Carano, who began her career as a mixed martial arts fighter, has starred in other Hollywood franchises, including Fast & Furious 6 as Riley Hicks, and Deadpool, in which she played Angel Dust.

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