Menu
Franchises

Dodgers shift ticket strategy with Eventellect deal

The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed a partnership with Houston-based ticket distribution company Eventellect, signaling a new strategy for Major League Baseball’s top attendance draw.

 

The Dodgers, playing in MLB’s largest ballpark with a capacity of 56,000, have long held a liberal stance toward ticket brokers. The club has declined to specify its level of business with brokers, but some industry estimates point to a third of its season-ticket base of more than 35,000 full-season equivalents being previously held by brokers.

But in the new alignment with Eventellect beginning this season, many of those broker accounts will be canceled and the company will assist the Dodgers in overseeing its local ticket resale market. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but agreements between MLB teams and ticket distribution companies typically involve profit sharing on ticket resale revenue, exchanges of sales data, pricing analysis, and controls over the amount of secondary inventory entering the market.

“We hope to keep learning and think this will be a better way to manage our relationship with brokers,” said Stan Kasten, Dodgers president and chief executive. “We see this as an important step as we figure out our best path forward.”

The Dodgers-Eventellect deal follows a 2017 World Series that former Ticketmaster Chief Executive Nathan Hubbard called “probably the most lucrative event for ticket brokers ever.” A potent combination of Dodger Stadium’s large capacity and strong fan interest on ticket resale markets generated an estimated $15 million in profit to brokers for each World Series game in Los Angeles, money that didn’t make its way back to the Dodgers. During the World Series, Dodgers executives said they planned to review during the offseason how they engaged with ticket brokers.

Eventellect is one of several prominent ticket wholesalers and distributors in the industry and works with dozens of other pro teams including the Houston Astros and Atlanta Hawks. Industry estimates now point to more than half of MLB teams having a defined ticket distribution and resale strategy, with that number continuing to grow.

“We’re very excited about our relationship with the Dodgers as more teams look to transform their ticketing business,” said Patrick Ryan, Eventellect co-founder.

The Dodgers-Eventellect deal also arrives as MLB this season is beginning a third contract term with ticket resale marketplace StubHub. The new term contemplates a deeper working relationship between StubHub and clubs.

“They’re both foundational pieces of our overall ticketing ecosystem,” said Tucker Kain, Dodgers chief financial officer, managing director of Guggenheim Baseball Management, and another key figure in the Eventellect partnership. “They’re both major partnerships that will help us get tickets to our fans.”

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2018/02/12/Franchises/Dodgers-Eventellect.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2018/02/12/Franchises/Dodgers-Eventellect.aspx

CLOSE