The Cubs have entered into an exclusive, multi-year
ticketing services agreement with CA-based Tickets.com,
beginning with the 2001 MLB season. Under terms of the deal,
Tickets.com receives exclusive rights to sell Cubs tickets
via its integrated ticket distribution system, including its
Web site, telephone sales, Chicago-area retail centers and
the Wrigley Field box office. Tickets.com inked an exclusive
online ticketing deal with MLB in June (Cubs). In Chicago,
Wetzel & Greenfield note that with the Tickets.com deal, the
Cubs ended their 18-year relationship with Ticketmaster.
Cubs execs "would not say what financial incentives were
built into" the Tickets.com deal or "how they varied from"
the Ticketmaster deal. While the new arrangement "may be a
boon to Internet-savvy Cubs fans," those who are "used to
buying their tickets at a Ticketmaster window may be in for a
bit of an adjustment." Wetzel & Greenfield add that
Tickets.com currently has no retail ticket outlets in the
Chicago area, but the company said that it will open 65
outlets by next year's MLB season. But "that compares with"
about 150 Ticketmaster outlets, 35 of which are based in
downtown Chicago (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/17). Also in Chicago,
David Roeder writes "there's no good news" for Cubs fans who
have "long groused about Ticketmaster's surcharges," as Cubs
Exec VP/Business Operations Mark McGuire said Tickets.com's
"surcharges will be comparable to those at Ticketmaster
[$3.25 per ticket plus a per-order fee of $1.75]." McGuire
added the team has "a challenge in terms of re-educating our
fans" about how to buy tickets (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/17).
PIRATES TIX DEAL: The Pirates have inked an online
ticket sales agreement with CA-based MS Intergate's
CyberSEATS, effective in 2001, PNC Park's inaugural season.
The CyberSEATS system allows consumers to see the views of
seat locations before making purchases (MS Intergate).
