StubHub announced today, August 30, that it has signed a secondary ticketing deal with primary ticket company Paciolan that will allow college sports fans to resell their tickets on the StubHub marketplace.
The move marks the formation of an important, multiyear alliance between a primary and secondary ticket entity, and tacitly acknowledges the freedom that some consumers prefer when transferring their tickets. Schools will have the ability to opt-into the initiative, which allows fans to seamlessly transfer tickets from Paciolan’s platform to StubHub’s while giving the buyer the option to print the ticket from home. Barcodes will be updated instantly to the proper purchaser of the ticket.
Paciolan, which has contracts with about 100 college sports programs, is owned by Comcast-Spectacor. Earlier in the year, Comcast-Spectacor acquired Paciolan from Ticketmaster for an undisclosed amount as part of the U.S. Department of Justice settlement to allow Ticketmaster to merge with Live Nation.
“Working with Paciolan, we will provide even higher levels of customer satisfaction to our buyers and sellers because now it will be even easier and quicker for them to buy and sell on StubHub,” said StubHub President Chris Tsakalakis in a prepared statement.
A StubHub spokesperson did not reply to a message seeking comment.
Purdue University and Florida State University will be the first two schools to implement the initiative for the upcoming college football season, but more schools are expected to join in over the next several months.
“We are thrilled to partner with StubHub to offer an innovative ticket resale option to college athletics organizations and their season ticket holders,” Dave Butler, CEO of Paciolan, said in a statement. “The StubHub integration also offers athletics programs greater reach to attract new buyers to purchase premium tickets, fill empty seats and increase game-day revenues.”
