Above: Fans get numbered wristbands Friday to buy single game tickets Saturday. (Photo by Redditor "BainesChile")
A sure-fire baseball play has come to Detroit, where the cost of Comerica Park seats will float with fans' interest and ticket availability for each game.
Sports business beat reporter Bill Shea explains at Crain's how the team benefits as the new system kicks in Monday:
The Detroit Tigers . . . can expect to pocket more than $1 million in new single-game ticket sales revenue because of a switch to dynamic pricing for the 2014 season, industry insiders say.
The Tigers join a growing lineup of professional sports teams using real-time analytics software to adjust ticket prices based on market demand.
Single-game tickets went on sale March 1, and a nosebleed seat that sold then for a base price of $12 could cost $15 or $20 later in the summer, if the seats for that game are in demand. . . . Ticket prices could change by the week, day or even hour.
New software being used considers team records, weather forecast, seat location, historic demand, resale market prices, pitching matchups and how many seats are unsold, Shea writes.
"It's fair to expect the Tigers to generate an added $1 million to $1.5 million in ticket revenue via dynamic pricing," said Connor Gregoire, an analyst for New York City-based ticket search engine SeatGeek.
Prices for peanuts and CrackerJack at the ol' ballgame aren't affected.
-- Alan Stamm
