Ever wonder about all those choice seats going empty the last time you
attended a pro sports event? Soon there may be a way to buy your way into one
of them.
Ticketmaster’s online operation is quietly launching a
marketplace Web site at which sports fans with season tickets will be
able to offer them for sale in an auction format if they can’t attend a
particular event.
Los Angeles-based Ticketmaster , which is majority owned
by e-commerce mogul Barry Diller’s USA Interactive, says the ticket sales
will be sanctioned by the sports teams, so there are no worries about
scalping.
No event tickets are on sale yet, but 17 NBA teams have reportedly signed up
to participate, and it would seem likely that marketing efforts are underway
with baseball and football teams as well.
The Web site says that “our authentication technology ensures that all
tickets at Ticketmaster Marketplace are valid for entry.” Apparently both
Ticketmaster and the particular sports team get a portion of the ticket
price.
“Avoid the hassle of collecting tickets from sellers by mail or in person,”
the Web site says. “Ticketfast delivery lets you print your own tickets
instantly.” Ticketfast apparently will use e-mail with a barcode that can be
printed out and then scanned at participating stadiums, according to
published reports. A similar mechanism is reportedly being planned for the
eventual sale of concert tickets.
Auction leader eBay already has a ticket
area that includes concerts, theaters, sporting events and even movies.
Ticketmaster says it sold 86.7 million tickets in 2001 valued at more than
$3.6 billion through approximately 3,300 retail Ticket Center outlets; 20
telephone call centers and the ticketmaster.com Web site.
