Patriots introduce variable pricing for 2014 season tickets

[bresna]

Does the invoice tell you which games will be "Premier" and which ones will be "Marquee"?

 

[dales804]

As Tune said, the increase in ticket prices for two areas is not because of the variable ticket pricing. It's just because the Patriots increased the price in those two sections overall:

The new ticket prices for the Preseason, Premier and Marquee games are listed
below, along with the total season ticket package price. 

              Variable Price per Game
Seating Level and Area            Preseason  Premier  Marquee  Total

Lower Level Midfield                 $95        $195     $245   $1,950
Lower Level Sideline                 $83        $169     $212   $1,690*
Lower Level Corner/End Zone          $71        $135     $167   $1,350
Mezzanine Level Corner               $57        $117     $147   $1,170*
Upper Level Midfield                 $49        $99      $124   $990**
Upper Level Sideline                 $45        $89      $111   $890*
Upper Level Corner                   $27        $65      $84    $650*

* Price unchanged since 2008.
** Price unchanged since 2012.

 

[Tunescribe]

Agreed. Actually, it does mean something - they can now charge single game ticket buyers more for 4 games during a season, thus increasing their bottom line.

But I can't see how they'd sell enough of them to make any kind of difference since the stadium is sold-out to season ticket holders (hence the many thousands on the waiting list).

They would really impress me if they did not force season ticket holders to buy preseason games. But since that means they would have to charge a very small ticket price to get anybody to go, that will not be happening soon.

Here's how they'd handle that: print "FREE" on the preseason game tickets and then increase the price of regular-season game tix to make up the difference.

The more I think about this "variable pricing" nonsense the more insulted I feel as a longtime season ticket holder. It's just an illusion presented as an attempt to appear more equitable in some way.

 

[PatsDeb]

But I can't see how they'd sell enough of them to make any kind of difference since the stadium is sold-out to season ticket holders (hence the many thousands on the waiting list).

Here's how they'd handle that: print "FREE" on the preseason game tickets and then increase the price of regular-season game tix to make up the difference.

The more I think about this "variable pricing" nonsense the more insulted I feel as a longtime season ticket holder. It's just an illusion presented as an attempt to appear more equitable in some way.

Agreed. It's just window dressing to appear as the benevolent owners the Krafts always try to portray themselves as, while failing to show you what's actually behind curtain number 3. I wouldn't be surprised if this was part of a long term plan to gradually increase everyone's ticket prices while pretending that is not what you are doing.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

By itself this doesn't make much sense, as people have noted.

But it's not an endpoint. It's an incremental step towards full-on dynamic pricing, mark my words.

 

[lurker1965]

Also, they don't let you resell preseason tickets on Ticket Exchange.

Cry me a river. Give those pre-season tickets to your local boys club or something and take a tax deduction.

Seriously, you are complaining about having season tickets?

 

[Tunescribe]

Cry me a river. Give those pre-season tickets to your local boys club or something and take a tax deduction.

Seriously, you are complaining about having season tickets?

I was complaining about nothing, just stating a fact. Personally, I attend the preseason games.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Are they going to identify the "Marquee" games before the season starts? How is that going to work? What happens when they identify next year's Cincinnati game as a "Marquee game" and the Bungles revert to form? The later in the season the game, the more chance for this to get messed up.

That's right. It's impossible to do this with more than a limited degree of accuracy, since it's not practical to reprice tickets mid-season. I would also argue that repricing tickets in that fashion is unnecessary, since it's already taken care of in the many secondary markets for tickets (no matter how much the Pats management tries to put a limit on such activity).

I just give the Pats credit for trying to address a major concern of ticket holders, even in this imperfect way.

The bottom line is that there is a certain amount of upside and downside risk in buying tickets to any sporting event, ranging from the unexpected quality of the opponent to the weather to injuries to key players.

 

[primetime]

This makes sense for the NBA or NHL where you can get 10 game or half-season packages with the caveat that you can only select a certain number of tickets from a given 'tier,' noting that there's always going to be more demand to see the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, Rangers, Canadiens, or Bruins than there will be for the Raptors or Panthers, for instance. MLB same thing - Yankees or Red Sox will be a platinum tier so there's a limit, Royals won't be so go crazy.

It really makes absolutely no sense for the NFL where the only package available is the 8+2 full season and preseason package.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

This makes sense for the NBA or NHL where you can get 10 game or half-season packages with the caveat that you can only select a certain number of tickets from a given 'tier,' noting that there's always going to be more demand to see the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, Rangers, Canadiens, or Bruins than there will be for the Raptors or Panthers, for instance. MLB same thing - Yankees or Red Sox will be a platinum tier so there's a limit, Royals won't be so go crazy.

It really makes absolutely no sense for the NFL where the only package available is the 8+2 full season and preseason package.

That assumes that every franchise is among the successful ones (like the Patriots) that have no trouble selling out their Season Ticket allotment. If your team relies to any material degree on game by game sales, then it probably does make sense, especially when it comes to filling seats for "bad" teams.

Not every team is like the Pats, which could make a lot more money by auctioning their premium tickets to the highest bidders than by selling them in (reasonably) affordable packages.

Stubhub and other markets have taken the first step towards setting a differentiated tiering of prices for NFL tickets. I see this as a first, baby step towards creating a more efficient market for NFL tickets. Given the Krafts' backgrounds, I think they probably see it that way as well.

 

[Deus Irae]

That assumes that every franchise is among the successful ones (like the Patriots) that have no trouble selling out their Season Ticket allotment. If your team relies to any material degree on game by game sales, then it probably does make sense, especially when it comes to filling seats for "bad" teams.

Not every team is like the Pats, which could make a lot more money by auctioning their premium tickets to the highest bidders than by selling them in (reasonably) affordable packages. Stubhub and other markets have taken the first step towards setting a differentiated price for NFL tickets.

I see this as a first, baby step towards creating a more efficient market for NFL tickets. Given the Krafts' backgrounds, I think they probably see it that way as well.

60 inch TV + cheaper food + multiple friends for no additional charge + easy bathroom access + all you care to drink beer with no worries + no ridiculous rules regarding re-sales or searches or the like > Traffic hassles + stadium experience + ridiculous financial cost.

They're now going to price even the most highly sought after games out of range. This will just speed up the transition from wanting to go to some, or all, of the games to wanting to watch them all at home.

 

[Blaizer]

I have 2 seats in the end zone. I can't make every game but I have never had any trouble selling them whether to friends or on the ticket exchange. I will keep them as long as that continues to be the case.

 

[SB39]

But I can't see how they'd sell enough of them to make any kind of difference since the stadium is sold-out to season ticket holders (hence the many thousands on the waiting list).

The seats they have allotted for season tickets are sold out, but that doesn't mean every seat in the stadium is sold to a STHer. All the Patriots are doing is trying to increase sales for the preseason games (plenty of great seats still available) but charge extra for the high demand games like Denver or Pittsburgh.

And it makes sense. Why in the world should the Patriots lock themselves into selling their extras for the preseason games at the same price as their extras when Denver comes to town? All that does is make the preseason tickets go unsold and the Broncos tickets go for far less than they could otherwise have gotten.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

60 inch TV + cheaper food + multiple friends for no additional charge + easy bathroom access + all you care to drink beer with no worries + no ridiculous rules regarding re-sales or searches or the like > Traffic hassles + stadium experience + ridiculous financial cost.

They're now going to price even the most highly sought after games out of range. This will just speed up the transition from wanting to go to some, or all, of the games to wanting to watch them all at home.

valid points all, especially to someone who long ago opted for his 63" plasma, 5.1 surround sound, a nice recliner, the food i like and brands of bourbon they don't sell at NFL games.

I'm trying to think about this as a "market." I'd be interested in your thoughts.

A market is ruled by the principles of supply and demand as well as by the perception of value in relation to price.

Stubhub and others are a fledgling effort at matching supply, demand and value perception to create a market price for NFL tickets.

I live in NYC. If the Pats had gone to the SB, I'd have stretched my budget to the max to take my kids to the game, not because I relished the thought of getting to and spending four hours in the Meadowlands in early February, but because I would have placed a high value on being able to be an eye witness to one of the BB/TB era SB games.

Otherwise, a typical NFL game is a far better experience for me if I watch it in the surroundings I described above (try to find a bottle of Buffalo Trace at Gillette!).

I think that we are just in early days of the impact of the internet (and the attendant access and information it brings) on the market for NFL tickets.

It's not out of the question that in the next decade successful teams might discover that it makes sense to sell average or "cheap" seats for a song (and thus assure a filled stadium) and then auction the more desired seats to the highest bidders. What they lose by virtually giving away the less desirable seats might turn out to be more than offset by the cash they would rake in by allowing a free market to set the price of the better seats.

One of (many) problems with what I just wrote is that it would only work for successful franchises that field teams that people actually want to see.

But, why would it have to work for every team? Couldn't the Pats and Cowboys and Steelers and teams of that ilk adopt one approach and allow others to rely on giving away t-shirts and nerf balls?

Anyway, just a few thoughts. For now, it's all unknown but knowable with the kind of consumer research that a sophisticated seller would be able to do.

For me, I'm quite content to tolerate the commercials that pay for a very comfortable home viewing experience...and allow for bathroom breaks and time to prep the food.

 

[primetime]

Most successful franchises have no issues selling out. The law of supply and demand already works. The Patriots, Cowboys, and Steelers could probably charge as much as they want and still fill a stadium. It wouldn't be affordable for the 'average family' but that's the price of the free market. Then again the market's not really free because tickets can only be bought in sold in a single marketplace - or two or so due to Stubhub, but even those are resellers and not a primary market.

The franchises that do have issues selling out could use variable pricing to set ticket prices in a more efficient manner, I suppose, but they're going to have to figure out a way to better predict ticket demand.

I was a STH growing up and my father got rid of the tickets he had since 1967 after they built Gillette. Since we were coming from Albany, it was an additional few hours of After that, we started going to one or two games a year in Buffalo or New York via bus tours, and those are more fun since you can get as liquored up as you want without having to worry about driving.

Also, good choice of bourbon with the Buff Trace. Not too expensive but better than some much higher-end stuff, in my opinion.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Most successful franchises have no issues selling out. The law of supply and demand already works. The Patriots, Cowboys, and Steelers could probably charge as much as they want and still fill a stadium. It wouldn't be affordable for the 'average family' but that's the price of the free market. Then again the market's not really free because tickets can only be bought in sold in a single marketplace - or two or so due to Stubhub, but even those are resellers and not a primary market.

The franchises that do have issues selling out could use variable pricing to set ticket prices in a more efficient manner, I suppose, but they're going to have to figure out a way to better predict ticket demand.

I was a STH growing up and my father got rid of the tickets he had since 1967 after they built Gillette. Since we were coming from Albany, it was an additional few hours of After that, we started going to one or two games a year in Buffalo or New York via bus tours, and those are more fun since you can get as liquored up as you want without having to worry about driving.

Also, good choice of bourbon with the Buff Trace. Not too expensive but better than some much higher-end stuff, in my opinion.

that makes a lot of sense.

i do think, tho, that the data are already available to enable franchises to match ticket demand with a sophisticated pricing strategy, given the mind boggling array of consumer data that gatherers like Google and retailers like Amazon now have. sorting that kind of data to correlate purchase behavior and buyer profiles with demand price elasticity (or lack thereof) and build a pricing model is more than feasible and is only a matter of someone as bright as the Krafts investing in doing just that...if they haven't already done so.

yeah on the Buffalo Trace! I'm happy that it's still at a $25 price point for 750 and low 30's for a liter. Makers Mark has done a great job at branding itself and charges about the same for what, to my taste, is just not as good (but that's just one sipper's opinion!). given the quality and quantity of bourbons and ryes that started hitting the market over the last couple of years, i'm not ready to pay $40 for a liter of any of it.

 

[Tunescribe]

The seats they have allotted for season tickets are sold out, but that doesn't mean every seat in the stadium is sold to a STHer. All the Patriots are doing is trying to increase sales for the preseason games (plenty of great seats still available) but charge extra for the high demand games like Denver or Pittsburgh.

And it makes sense. Why in the world should the Patriots lock themselves into selling their extras for the preseason games at the same price as their extras when Denver comes to town? All that does is make the preseason tickets go unsold and the Broncos tickets go for far less than they could otherwise have gotten.

According to the team's ticket office there is no allotment set aside for single-game sales. What goes on sale individually via Ticketmaster before the season, in their words, "are incidentals." The vast majority of the stadium is sold out to season ticket holders.

60 inch TV + cheaper food + multiple friends for no additional charge + easy bathroom access + all you care to drink beer with no worries ...

None of which trumps a crisp fall day at the stadium where you join in the energy and passion with fellow fans and see/experience things no TV can provide. But that's just my opinion.

 

[bresna]

According to the team's ticket office there is no allotment set aside for single-game sales. What goes on sale individually via Ticketmaster before the season, in their words, "are incidentals." The vast majority of the stadium is sold out to season ticket holders.

This is true if you ignore the 1,500 or so seats that are held for the visiting team. These are released on the Tuesday before a Sunday game and often show up all at once. Good team comes into town and they grab their full allocation. A bad team (or a team from far away) comes in and these all hit the Ticket Exchange website.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

60 inch TV + cheaper food + multiple friends for no additional charge + easy bathroom access + all you care to drink beer with no worries + no ridiculous rules regarding re-sales or searches or the like > Traffic hassles + stadium experience + ridiculous financial cost.

They're now going to price even the most highly sought after games out of range. This will just speed up the transition from wanting to go to some, or all, of the games to wanting to watch them all at home.

There are drugs to help the elderly with that problem.

Have your prostate checked!

 

[primetime]

i do think, tho, that the data are already available to enable franchises to match ticket demand with a sophisticated pricing strategy, given the mind boggling array of consumer data that gatherers like Google and retailers like Amazon now have. sorting that kind of data to correlate purchase behavior and buyer profiles with demand price elasticity (or lack thereof) and build a pricing model is more than feasible and is only a matter of someone as bright as the Krafts investing in doing just that...if they haven't already done so.

That's true, though Amazon can't always use that data to control the invisible hand. For books, publishers are setting the price for their intellectual property and Amazon takes a small cut of it, but the key there is intellectual property - copyright is itself antithetical to a free market, since it's a government-granted monopoly over a given bit of intellectual property. Its ostensible utility - to encourage creative work - is noble, but ultimately its become a tool of IP holders who are afraid to lose exclusive rights. Disney is notorious for always leading the charge for the absurd extension of copyright protections because they don't want to lose Mickey Mouse exclusivity, and Disney's always been very litigious with its IP for this reason. But that's not what copyright is meant for.

This, of course, is a good reason to get rid of publishers and find an alternative to copyright. In the football ticket and event space (since live events are different in a fundamental way from a good), its a good reason to promote scalping and to want to see a proliferation of ticket resale. I think Stubhub is great and their processing fees aren't particularly high, and with digital tickets it's easier than ever to buy and sell. I hope that the resale market, however, influences the primary market as well.