Tickets: Ticket Prices 2013-2014

[mike14]

I'm an ex-season ticket holder and I went to my first game of this season last week and I must say I've been to libraries louder than the new MSG. The real fan is officially priced out of the building and the garden atmosphere is gone. It really isn't worth the money any more and from now on I'll be watching every game from my couch. Thanks Dolan!

Just so we all know what side of the line we fall on, can you please define what a 'real fan' is?

 

[robwrx04]

Call me bias since I can't afford anything close to season tickets, but to me it's a simple supply and demand economics. If they are selling out, why wouldn't they raise prices?

 

[Clowes Line]

Just so we all know what side of the line we fall on, can you please define what a 'real fan' is?

Yea, I'd love to hear how money defines the real fan. My family is keeping their tickets, guess I'm not a real fan

 

[broadwayblue]

I've been saying it for years, season tickets are not a good value proposition. Get yourself a nice front projector and enjoy the games on a 110"+ screen from the comfort of your own home. For the average regular season game it's far more enjoyable and pays for itself in no time. I still have my seasons (and more than broke even selling them this year) but I only go to a few games since it's hard to justify a couple hundred bucks for 3 hours entertainment. When the time comes where I can't break even selling regular season games I'll give them up, even though I enjoy having playoff ticket rights.

 

[ltrangerfan]

deleted

 

[ltrangerfan]

Bingo! I expect the same. They will close the price gap between lower and upper bowls. They will close the gap between row 1 and row 2. They have data on what price points are selling above face on the secondary market and will raise prices to transfer that wealth.

My view:

You are spot on that MSG knows the value (selling price) of each seat in the arena.

They will raise prices where there is a vast difference in the gap between the secondary market and the STH market.

However, IMO, they will be careful not to entirely eliminate the profit advantage that accrues to the tix holders in good years. The probability is that the best seats (which command the biggest premiums) are probably held by long time season tix holders. They have held on during some very poor seasons despite the price increases. If you price out the LT holders all you will have left are the momentum traders who buy season tix while the team is on the rise. These new buyers will flee if the teams fortunes start to decline rather than to take losses on resales. It is my opinion that MSG understands their season tix buyer profile rather well.

 

[GordonGecko]

I've been saying it for years, season tickets are not a good value proposition. Get yourself a nice front projector and enjoy the games on a 110"+ screen from the comfort of your own home. For the average regular season game it's far more enjoyable and pays for itself in no time. I still have my seasons (and more than broke even selling them this year) but I only go to a few games since it's hard to justify a couple hundred bucks for 3 hours entertainment. When the time comes where I can't break even selling regular season games I'll give them up, even though I enjoy having playoff ticket rights.

next year we should be ok, anyone past the bridge obstructions in the upper bowl will be in demand to get away from the back rows, and there's no preseason games. I'm more concerned about when preseason comes back in '14-15

 

[Uncle Sid]

I have a problem with the wording "an average of 4%". Will they close the price gap between the most expensive and cheapest tickets at MSG? Will they only hike the prices in the lower bowl 1-2% and 7-8% in the upper bowl? (Somehow averaging 4%, idk I'm no mathemagician)

I have been to 3 games this year, and I have already really stretched myself and my budget, but the lockout had me starving for hockey. If the hikes are really significant to you guys (the STH), that means it will be even more so on the secondary market. Crap

 

[GordonGecko]

If the hikes are really significant to you guys (the STH), that means it will be even more so on the secondary market. Crap

Actually that's not necessarily true. The market is the market, people have their budget and if they won't pay more than a certain amount the season ticket holder ends up eating the difference. There's also a tipping point where STHs can't justify going to as many games. That means they have to sell X more games multiplied by Y season ticket holders and that bloats the supply which lowers prices for you. Of course STHs will try to pass along the added cost, whether or not people pay depends on how hot a ticket the Rangers are

 

[GraveyTrain9]

Just so we all know what side of the line we fall on, can you please define what a 'real fan' is?

A real fan is somebody who actually shows interest in whats going on during the game rather than the people you see there now not even watching and just BSing the entire time... Last game I went to I think I was the only person in my section who even stood up for a goal (200 level). I'm not saying you have to scream like a maniac the entire time but at least show some interest. You can tell most of them don't even watch hockey or even care about it in the slightest bit.

 

[GordonGecko]

A real fan is somebody who actually shows interest in whats going on during the game rather than the people you see there now not even watching and just BSing the entire time... Last game I went to I think I was the only person in my section who even stood up for a goal (200 level). I'm not saying you have to scream like a maniac the entire time but at least show some interest. You can tell most of them don't even watch hockey or even care about it in the slightest bit.

Well I guess that's better than the Knicks game I was at on Thursday against the Thunder. They showed the winning OT goal against the Islanders on the garden vision and cranked the volume, and about 19,000 out of 19,030 people had a WTF are we looking-at look on their faces and maybe 3 guys cheered including me

 

[Dangleberry]

A real fan is somebody who actually shows interest in whats going on during the game rather than the people you see there now not even watching and just BSing the entire time... Last game I went to I think I was the only person in my section who even stood up for a goal (200 level). I'm not saying you have to scream like a maniac the entire time but at least show some interest. You can tell most of them don't even watch hockey or even care about it in the slightest bit.

Fair point, but come realize the different demographics that attend these games. Forgot which game it was, but I was sitting next to the wife of an ECHL player. She honestly couldn't give a rats ass what was going on the entire time.

 

[ltrangerfan]

My best guess is that most prices are going up around 3-5% around the arena. If some is currently paying $170 below does $175-7 knock him/her out?.

I have $90 gallery seats. My guess now $95.

Row 1 Was $150 will stay at $150.

Row 3 & Back was 79 now $83-84.

Behind $53? now up to $55-56

 

[NYRSchrute217]

Agree. I might actually not renew next year. Games just aren't fun anymore.

In the regular season maybe. But if that's the case, sell your games on stubhub and go to the rivalry games. You'll still have the playoff option.

That's what most people do anyway.

 

[Oak]

Was at the Buffalo game last week. After the 1st period a Sabres fan sitting in front of me turned around and asked me, in all seriousness, what was wrong with our building and why it was so dead. I couldn't even argue with her because she was spot on.

A lot of people on here better hope this team doesn't win a Cup anytime soon or none of us will ever be able to go to a game again.

I'll agree with you here. The garden has been quieter this year than I ever remember.

 

[Oak]

Tickets will continue to sell out because many STH's don't even come to games and just sell on stubhub for a profit.

The seats on either side of me and behind me are all STH's but every game it is different people that bought their tix on stubhub. I always ask because I am hoping to meet the people who own the tix but they never come.

 

[Crease]

I'm at the point where I go to 2-3 rivalry games per year, and the odd play-off game. And I'm perfectly content with that.

 

[Bagels]

I am in the same price point, has $85+ even been confirmed? Those $53 seats are starting to look really attractive now. Hell, put me in the $30 blue seats for all I care.

I'm speculating on the $85. But even at $82 it's just ridiculous and I'm probably not going to renew.

 

[patnyrnyg]

4% increase would put the $79 at about $82 but who knows how much each area is increasing. For all we know the lower bowl may not increase at all since they're tougher to move while the upper bowl seats are the ones that get hit with a hard price increase.

I wouldn't be surprised if the lower bowl may be dropping in price while the upper bowl is getting a significant increase. The price difference is making the upper bowl more desirable for most people. The way MSG thinks, dropping the price of the lower bowl is not enough.

 

[patnyrnyg]

4% means my 6000 season tickets go to 6240. Can't really complain, the team is competitive, they've made a huge investment in the building even though some don't like it, they brought in Nash. I still wont have to buy pre-season games, that will save me somewhere around $450.00. There is demand for these tickets and the Rangers recognize this. Has anyone has any difficulty selling $73-$78 games for profit this year? Will that change when it is $76-$82? Last year, my tickets went from $59 to $73 each, thats 24%. I'll be happy if its only a 4% increase. If the money becomes an issue, I'll just go to less games.

Yes, but there is a limit to what the market can sustain. Just because your cost increases, it doesn't mean the amount you get on the secondary will increase at the same rate. Secondly, you have people who buy strictly to sell and make money. You also have people who buy with the intent of selling some at a profit to off-set their costs. Now, you can say MSG doesn't care about the brokers, but they better care about the brokers and the customers being able to turn a profit. If they can't do so, they drop their tickets which causes an increased supply which hurts the secondary market. Also decreases the demand as those people know longer want tickets. Secondary market decreases further. In addition, even people who are not concerned with making a profit, but just want to get their money back come into play. The past few years, I have kept anywhere from 10-15 games. This year, I kept 4 games and went to another with the guy who sits to my right. Increase the price again, and maybe I only keep 7 games next year. Again, increased supply. Certainly, me putting an extra 3-8 games up for sale isn't enough to impact the market, but you have a few hundred people thinking like me and it certainly does impact the market. When they started raising prices following 2005-06, I said $50 per ticket was my limit. I can afford to pay more, but $50 was the most I was willing to pay. When I said that, I was only making about 2/3 of the money I am making now. My stance has softened to I will keep them so long as I can continue to sell the games I want to sell without much effort. At a higher price point, that becomes more difficult. I start eating games or losing money on games, or going to more games than I want, and all of a sudden I lose interest and drop my tickets. Again, me dropping a pair of tickets doesn't hurt the market, but a few hundred people doing this definitely does.

All you have to do is look at the Yankees ticket situation. My brother in law goes to about 25 Yankees games a year. Always buys on Stubhub that day for less than 1/2 face value. He has bought tickets to games against the Red Sox for less than face value the past few years. I get calls from the Yankees about buying ticket packages all the time and I am not even a Yankee fan (I think it is my brother in law submitting my info to their ticketing department, but he denies it). When I call, I play along and ask them why I should buy a ticket package at their prices when I can get tickets on the secondary market to any game and 95% of the games I can get for less than face value. They give me some company pitch about the benefits I can get and I laugh at them. Tells me I can get pre-sales and play-offs and I remind him that even the play-off games aren't all selling out anymore and the tickets for the first round can be had online for face value and sometimes less.

 

[patnyrnyg]

Tickets will continue to sell out because many STH's don't even come to games and just sell on stubhub for a profit.

The seats on either side of me and behind me are all STH's but every game it is different people that bought their tix on stubhub. I always ask because I am hoping to meet the people who own the tix but they never come.

true, but see my post above. Eventually that bubble will burst, too. Yankee fans who bought tickets in the new stadium with the intent of selling most to off-set their costs or make a profit took a bath on their tickets.

 

[patnyrnyg]

Call me bias since I can't afford anything close to season tickets, but to me it's a simple supply and demand economics. If they are selling out, why wouldn't they raise prices?

Here's the problem, keep raising prices and the supply increases as people drop their tickets or look to sell more games. Demand also drops as less people can afford to buy tickets or afford to buy as many tickets as in the past. The guy who sits to my right has a friend who is willing to spend $300 a season. When our tickets were $25 each, he took 6 games. When they were $30, he only took 5. This year, he was only taking 3 and that was before the lockout. Result? Increased supply.

 

[Giacomin]

The Rangers happen to have a very loyal fan base. I have seen a few on here say that they might not renew which I would be very surprised. I may be in the minority but not renewing because of a 4% increase and missing out on a potential Stanley Cup run is not worth it to me.

 

[DelZottoHitTheNetJK]

Went to 5 games last year including 4 playoff games. Won't go to a single game this season after the lockout debacle. So far I've bought the last 6 UFC PPV events; last year I bought 0. More than happy to give someone else my disposable income. A big **** you to the NHL & MSG. Not like my small contribution matters but I'm doing my part.

 

[Vito Andolini]

Went to 5 games last year including 4 playoff games. Won't go to a single game this season after the lockout debacle. So far I've bought the last 6 UFC PPV events; last year I bought 0. More than happy to give someone else my disposable income. A big **** you to the NHL & MSG. Not like my small contribution matters but I'm doing my part.

I'm with you regarding the lockout...which was basically a big F.U. directed at the fans by the NHL & NHLPA.

I can't blame MSG though for raising prices. After the massive disrespect and petty arguments of the lockout, fans have come back with force. Let them pay some extra money if they are so interested in feeding the beast.