Yankees, StubHub End Standoff With Ticket Deal
The New York Yankees announced on Monday that StubHub will replace Ticketmaster as the team’s official ticket reseller, reaching an exclusive multi-year deal that ends a long standoff between the two sides.
StubHub will become the only fan-to-fan ticket marketplace to offer digital tickets for Yankees home games. The Yankees continue to prohibit print-at-home tickets from any website, so seats transferred through StubHub must comply with a mobile-only ticket policy that the club implemented this season.
The StubHub service will launch by July 7, and the first available game will be the Yankees’ July 15 matchup with the Boston Red Sox.
As the newest official sponsor of the Yankees, StubHub will receive other benefits such as in-stadium signage, suite access and the use of Yankees logos.
Financial terms of the six-year pact weren’t disclosed, although multiple reports said the Yankees are poised to make $100 million over the course of the deal. Ticketmaster, a subsidiary of Live Nation (NYSE:LYV), will continue to serve as the Yankees’ primary ticket seller.
“This new product was the result of many productive discussions with StubHub, which will allow them to fully integrate into our ticket system. We are confident this collaboration will best protect our fans in the resale ticket marketplace,” Yankees President Randy Levine said in a statement.
Scott Cutler, president of StubHub, thanked the Yankees and MLB Advanced Media “for their willingness to come to the table and reach a positive solution for all parties.”
The Yankees and StubHub have been at odds since 2012, when the Yankees—along with the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs—opted out of a league-wide ticket partnership with StubHub. The Yankees proceeded to file a lawsuit in early 2013 over the location of StubHub’s ticket pickup site near Yankee Stadium.
Leading up to the 2016 season, the Yankees announced they would no longer accept print-at-home tickets, citing an effort to stop the use of fraudulent tickets. Digital tickets have since been offered in mobile format through the Yankees Ticket Exchange, operated by Ticketmaster.
Many fans saw the move as an attempt to stop them from using StubHub and other secondary markets, since printing tickets at home is a convenient way to redeem tickets purchased at the last minute. Unlike Ticketmaster, StubHub didn’t have access to the ticket bar codes that are required for mobile tickets.
Monday’s deal brings an end to the Yankees-StubHub rivalry, albeit with the print-at-home ban still in place. StubHub will close its Last Minute Service center near Yankee Stadium, but it will now be granted access to ticket bar codes, thereby allowing the company to offer mobile tickets on iOS and Android devices. Hard-stock tickets resold on StubHub will be converted to mobile format.
The Yankees are the lone MLB franchise to ban print-at-home tickets. According to the team, more than 600,000 fans are expected to enter Yankee Stadium using mobile tickets during the 2016 season.
Also under the deal, StubHub agreed to a modified price floor for Yankees tickets. Minimum resale values were also in effect on the Yankees Ticket Exchange.
StubHub, which is owned by eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), has had a busy 2016 that also includes a landmark jersey sponsorship with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.