Following a similar decision by Ticketmaster last month, StubHub this week announced to members of its online affiliate marketing program that the company was shutting down the initiative and will stop making commission payments, effective December 1.
How many affiliates the move will affect was not disclosed, nor was the amount of money the company paid out, but the program had been around for years and contributed to making the 10-year-old ticket resale marketplace the world’s second-largest ticketing company. The company’s affiliates program paid commissions on a scale of between 4 percent and 8 percent per ticket order, depending on the type of event.
While StubHub does not intend to replace the program with a different affiliate effort, it said it plans to concentrate on “more strategic relationships with key partners,” as a means to grow its business. Those partnerships include sports leagues and teams, venues and music artists.
StubHub notified affiliates in an email late Tuesday, November 2, that was sent through the program’s management company Commission Junction. The ticketing company will honor all commissions through November 30. The text of the email is below:
Dear xxxx,
We regret to inform you that as of December 1st, 2010, StubHub is ending its affiliate program and will no longer be part of the Commission Junction Affiliate Network.
While we appreciate the effort that all of you have put forth in helping us build our business, we believe that focusing on deeper, more strategic relationships with key partners will help us provide the best experience for Fans. The last day any sales will result in a commission will be November 30th, 2010.
Be assured that any referred transactions taking place in November will be paid out as normal. Thank you again for being part of the StubHub affiliate program and we wish you all the best.
Best regards,
Your StubHub Affiliate Team
“Over the years, we have worked hard to bring more fans to live events and our affiliate program has been a significant part of our efforts,” Glenn Lehrman, spokesperson for StubHub, told TicketNews in a statement. “As we continue to innovate and solidify our brand messaging, we have decided to direct our efforts towards deeper, more strategic relationships with key partners, as we believe this will ultimately provide the best experience for fans. Affiliate commissions will be paid out as normal for all transactions taking place in November, and then we will no longer be part of the Commission Junction Affiliate Network as of December 1st 2010.”
Several secondary ticket companies still maintain an affiliate marketing program, including Barry’s Tickets, Razorgator, TicketNetwork and Vivid Seats, and all of them stand to benefit from StubHub’s exit.
Primary ticketing company TicketBiscuit has an affiliate program that the company’s marketing director Eric Housh said can also fill the void.
“The end of a presumably large and active affiliate program like StubHub’s will undoubtedly cause a few ripples in the industry; several bloggers, publishers, developers, and entrepreneurs built businesses around their ability to drive traffic there and convert sales,” Housh told TicketNews. “I expect we’ll continue to see interest in our affiliate program as these individuals looks to replace the income lost from programs like StubHub and Ticketmaster, and we welcome them with open arms.”
TicketNetwork is the parent company of TicketNews.
