Phillies Season Tickets Will Not Increase; Cubs Cut Prices By 2%

The Phillies "are not increasing" season-ticket prices for '13, according to Ryan Lawrence of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS. Phillies VP/Ticket Sales & Operations John Weber said the only change is a "modified pricing structure." Lawrence notes 10 games have "tickets that have gone up in price while 10 others have tickets that have gone down in price." Weber said, "We took a look at it and picked 10 games (to increase prices). And 10 other games will go down the same amount. It's a very simplified pricing model. There is no price increase (overall)." Lawrence notes of the 10 games that are "on the higher end, eight are against either NL East or American League opponents, and all but one of the games takes place before the All-Star break." On the "flip side, six of the 10 games that have gone down in price fall in the final 2 months of the regular season." With the new pricing structure, the "most expensive ticket at Citizens Bank Park, the lower rows of the Diamond Club, will cost $145 each for the 10 high-priced games and $125 for the lower-priced games." For the other games on the schedule, "the price is $135." The "cheapest seat at the ballpark fluctuates by $3." In the "10 higher-priced games, tickets in the terrace deck and pavilion deck are $19; in the lower-priced games, the same seats go for $13." For the remaining games, "those tickets are $16" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 10/17).

NEW DYNAMIC: In Chicago, Paul Sullivan notes Cubs officials yesterday said that their "overall average ticket price will decrease by 2 percent in 2013, most of which stems from a 10 percent reduction in the average price of a bleacher ticket." Cubs VP/Ticket Sales & Service Colin Faulkner said that the prices were "decided upon after working with Natural Selection, a technology company based in San Diego that analyzed the primary and secondary markets." Many season-ticket holders will "see prices remain flat, or even see a slight increase." Most of the decreases are "in the terrace reserved outfield, the upper deck outfield boxes and the bleachers." Faulkner said that those seats "make up 30 percent of the capacity of Wrigley Field." He added that the Cubs will use "dynamic pricing in the entire ballpark ... after experimenting with the concept in the bleachers in 2012." Despite a '12 record of 61-101, the Cubs "don't expect a significant drop-off in season ticket sales" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/17).