MSN Upgrades Ticket Sales Arena

Offering up some competition for
eBay’s tickets area, Microsoft’s MSN network signed deals with
Ticketmaster and LiquidSeats in launching a new shopping channel called MSN Tickets with Ticketmaster, and said it
would offer exclusive presale promotions to users in advance of general
sales.

eBay also has a deal
with San Francisco-based LiquidSeats to let
users tap into its StubHub Network, a marketplace for
ticketsellers.

MSN said it will offer its visitors access to Ticketmaster’s inventory of tickets to concerts, theater, sporting events and
performing arts. Financial arrangements were not disclosed.

The Ticketmaster solution is integrated across the MSN network, including
content from MSN Entertainment and MSN Music, to provide users with
additional information about the events they are looking for, including tour
schedules, concert listings, album promotions and artist information,
Microsoft said.

MSN Tickets allows consumers to search for entertainment events based on a
desired date, artist, team or venue. And, with Microsoft .NET Passport,
searches can be automatically set to locate ticketing inventory and event
information based on proximity to one’s ZIP code. Future plans call for the
launch of .NET Alerts, which will immediately notify customers by e-mail when
their favorite artists are on tour.

The MSN deal with LiquidSeats gives users access to its premium live event
tickets via MSN StubHub, powered by LiquidSeats’
StubHub Ticket Marketplace. The deal gives MSN Tickets users access to
live-event tickets that are exclusively available on the StubHub Network,
including Web sites affiliated with professional sports teams, performing
artists and Broadway ticketsellers.

Privately held LiquidSeats is able to offer MSN users exclusive access to
hard-to-find tickets and even tickets to sold- out events, Microsoft said.
And, aiming at eBay, season ticket holders and others who wish to sell
tickets can go through MSN StubHub to sell their extra tickets directly to
other fans in a seamless, end-to-end transaction.

As part of the eBay-LiquidSeats deal, ticket listings from the StubHub
Network are posted onto eBay electronically using eBay’s API technology. Also
as part of the arrangement, eBay is promoting StubHub ticket listings
throughout the eBay Web site. LiquidSeats has its own storefront location on
eBay.