The Suns entering play tonight occupying the 8th spot in the Western Conference with a 46-31 record after winning just 25 games last year, and Suns President Jason Rowley said that the turnaround is "translating into improved season ticket renewals and sales, as well as a bump in suite and court-side ticket sales," according to Mike Sunnucks of the PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL. Rowley said that the Suns currently have a 91% season-ticket renewal rate, up from 71% last season. He added that floor seats and smaller theater boxes at US Airways Center also are "posting better sales for both this season and next." Sunnucks reported the Suns' attendance "is up a little more than 400 fans per game" this season, but despite the improvement, they rank 24th in the NBA in that category. Meanwhile, Fox Sports Arizona Dir of Communications & Marketing Brett Hansen said that the team's TV ratings are up 84% compared with last season, "with an average of close to 39,700 households watching games this season." Phoenix-based Harkey Advertising CEO Matt Owens said that most of the Suns' marketing and "bottom-line rebound is due to the team’s success on the court and the local market’s bandwagon fan bases" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/8).
