StubHub has signed a five-year deal with the NFL to "become the league’s authorized secondary ticket partner, marking the first major outgrowth of the NFL’s recently approved open ticketing partnership with Ticketmaster," according to Eric Fisher of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. S.F.-based StubHub will become a “gold partner” within the league’s new ticketing framework, getting "full integration into the Ticketmaster-powered digital system to be installed across the league, along with use of some league marks and a designation as the league’s preferred secondary ticketing provider." The agreement "does not preclude other resellers from also becoming part of the league’s ticketing framework." However, StubHub will "receive exclusive rights to market itself as an 'authorized' resale marketplace for NFL tickets." The agreement will begin next year. Financial terms for both this deal and the Ticketmaster agreement were not disclosed, but NFL Senior VP/Club Business Development Brian Lafemina said it was a “fair assumption” the Ticketmaster pact was in excess of the more than $200M the company committed for the five-year term that was scheduled to end next year. Teams also are expected to "receive an undisclosed financial incentive to remain with Ticketmaster for primary ticketing" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/23 issue).
