SeatGeek announced on Monday morning that it has joined StubHub as an official secondary outlet for National Football League tickets, expanding the league’s new “open” ticketing system. The move will integrate the resale platform with the league’s ticketing system, allowing for “verified” tickets to be sold there.
“We’re thrilled to work with the NFL to push forward an open vision for ticketing that is better for fans and teams,” SeatGeek co-founder Russ D’Souza said in a release posted to SeatGeek’s website Monday. “Our users are going to love how safe and easy it is to buy NFL tickets on SeatGeek for years to come.”
There has still been no official confirmation of the widely reported story that the Dallas Cowboys have signed on with SeatGeek as its primary ticketing provider, a deal which reportedly includes the team gaining an equity stake in the New York-based company and through it, the secondary market as a whole. In December, news broke that the New Orleans Saints (and NBA’s Pelicans) had signed with SeatGeek as its primary ticketing partner.
Prior to this year, Ticketmaster had been the lone “official” platform for resale of tickets for fans. But in its renewal contract with the ticketing giant, other operations have been allowed to buy their way in. StubHub was the first secondary platform to opt in on the platform, but fans have gained another marketplace with Monday’s news.
The full release from SeatGeek is included below:
SeatGeek Joins Network of NFL Licensed Ticketing Platforms
NFL Fans will have a seamless and verified buying experience on SeatGeek
New York, NY (March 5, 2018) — SeatGeek today announced an agreement with the National Football League that will allow it to integrate into the NFL’s open ticketing system starting in the 2018-19 season. With this integration fans who buy NFL tickets on SeatGeek will not only have a frictionless purchase experience, but also have the peace of mind of knowing that their tickets are authentic.
This announcement comes as a major shift is occurring in the ticketing industry, with technology making it easier than ever before for verified tickets to be sold across the internet. SeatGeek has been on the forefront of this shift with its primary ticketing solution SeatGeek Enterprise, while the NFL is the first major sports league to have an open architecture across all teams.
Once integrated, NFL fans shopping on SeatGeek will be able to seamlessly purchase tickets with just two taps, transfer them to a friend, and use their mobile device to scan right into the game. All tickets will be verified with the primary seller, giving fans a worry-free buying experience.
“We’re thrilled to work with the NFL to push forward an open vision for ticketing that is better for fans and teams,” said SeatGeek co-founder Russ D’Souza. “Our users are going to love how safe and easy it is to buy NFL tickets on SeatGeek for years to come.”
While historically teams were limited to selling tickets exclusively through their primary ticketing partner, in this new open NFL ecosystem teams will be able to sell directly through league-approved platforms. SeatGeek’s primary ticketing platform SeatGeek Enterprise takes a similar approach, allowing teams to sell tickets on other ticketing sites, but also through social networks, publishers, and other places on the web where fans are already spending time. SeatGeek has partnered with the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, as well as a number of Major League Soccer clubs.
