Tickets: Ticket Prices 2013-2014

[patnyrnyg]

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.

sorry, but I find this very difficult to believe.

 

[Cliffy1814]

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.

Bingo.
Teams follow the secondary market. They know what is going on even though they don't react to it quickly.
They are still having trouble selling lower bowl seats while 200 or 400 level seats are selling for large profit on ST and other sites.

They can raise 200 level seats 20% and still have people in the 100 level dying to get up there, especially with the new sightlines.

Ssucks for me as I am a 400 level STL, but I would expect that all the price points below $100 see the most significant percentage increase in price.

Makes sense.

 

[Giacomin]

Bingo.
Teams follow the secondary market. They know what is going on even though they don't react to it quickly.
They are still having trouble selling lower bowl seats while 200 or 400 level seats are selling for large profit on ST and other sites.

They can raise 200 level seats 20% and still have people in the 100 level dying to get up there, especially with the new sightlines.

Ssucks for me as I am a 400 level STL, but I would expect that all the price points below $100 see the most significant percentage increase in price.

Makes sense.

Why does it make sense. The Rangers are sold out for the season and are very afraid of alienating their ST base. If they raised upper bowl tickets 8% and kept lower bowl tickets at a 0% increase I can see a lot of pissed off STH,s. If the tickets were raised across the board at roughly 4% I think there would be less people upset.
The problem is that if you have lower bowl tickets expecting to resell and make a profit it isn,t going to happen so I would only purchase a subscription to lower bowl seating if I planned on using the tickets

 

[Bluenote13]

Don't worry Ranger fans, you will receive a free NYR/Sponsor T shirt at the first home game !

Huh? Huh?

 

[patnyrnyg]

Bingo.
Teams follow the secondary market. They know what is going on even though they don't react to it quickly.
They are still having trouble selling lower bowl seats while 200 or 400 level seats are selling for large profit on ST and other sites.

They can raise 200 level seats 20% and still have people in the 100 level dying to get up there, especially with the new sightlines.

Ssucks for me as I am a 400 level STL, but I would expect that all the price points below $100 see the most significant percentage increase in price.

Makes sense.

They follow the secondary market, yes. However, it is not supply vs demand, it is QUANTITY supplied vs QUANTITY demanded.

Let's take the Washington home game on the 24th, for example. If EVERY season ticket holder posted their tickets for sale for 20% over face value, do you think they would ALL sell? Absolutely not. Right now, you can say the quantity demanded at face value is 18,200 tickets (or whatever the capacity is now), however at 1.2 times face value, the quantity demanded drops. For a tuesday night game against Florida, I would say the quantity demanded at face value is not even 100%. Yes, it is sold out, but a big part of that is because the season ticket holders have to take that game. If the ticket reps emailed all the season ticket holders and offered to remove a game from the package and that game is a tuesday night in december against FLorida or a Western team, most would agree and they wouldn't be able to sell out the building.

This is the part the team do not seem to understand. They hear the scalpers or people on stubhub are getting $300 and up for the cheapest seats. Doesn't mean they all would have sold at $300.

 

[patnyrnyg]

One other thing that pisses me off. Two years ago, the Rangers stopped letting people pick up their season tickets at the box office. Said they had to be mailed for a $25 fee. My rep said that no other team in the area allows you to pick up your tickets. They all mail them out. I have had Giants tickets for years, but for the first time they are in my name. Just paid the invoice for next season. $1900 for the 2 tickets ($95 each), $5 handling fee, and $300 for parking passes ($30 per game). No delivery charge.

 

[GordonGecko]

One other thing that pisses me off. Two years ago, the Rangers stopped letting people pick up their season tickets at the box office. Said they had to be mailed for a $25 fee. My rep said that no other team in the area allows you to pick up your tickets. They all mail them out. I have had Giants tickets for years, but for the first time they are in my name. Just paid the invoice for next season. $1900 for the 2 tickets ($95 each), $5 handling fee, and $300 for parking passes ($30 per game). No delivery charge.

They stopped offering it when the lobby was boarded up for phase I of the refurbishing, and this year they didn't offer it either. I think they like not having to hand them out one by one at the box office so I don't expect them to revert back to that option

 

[patnyrnyg]

They stopped offering it when the lobby was boarded up for phase I of the refurbishing, and this year they didn't offer it either. I think they like not having to hand them out one by one at the box office so I don't expect them to revert back to that option

I know, but honestly it was easy. I went all the time, and never had to wait for more than 2 people and that was with only 2 windows open. Early September is a dead time for the Garden, so it is not like they need their people for other things. However, the big gripe is their claim that other teams will only mail them out. Well, the one team I deal with that does, does not charge a $25 **** you fee for the delivery.

 

[Blueshirt13]

With MSG now being a publicly traded company and no longer hidden within Cablevision, you have to understand that ultimately, for management, they have to do what's best for their shareholders and not the fans. If they don't enhance shareholder returns, eventually they are out of a job.

Given that this year they are facing cost headwinds from renovation expenses (notice it's now $1B from originally $500m when planned in 08), higher health care costs (national avg cost increase this year is 12%) and likely wage inflation, a 4% increase is not that bad.

Yeah, MSG is different today than it was 5 years ago, let alone 10 and 20, that sadly is just the way things will remain. MSG will continue to sell out simply because they see what demand trends are like. Taking in house the season ticket aftermarket sales with ticketsnow gives them an even better view of supply and demand.

Just for that random comment about Devils Sellouts... Discounted tickets on living social (half price tix, free food and party bag) has worked wonders for them. While they aren't getting full price for the tickets, getting half price and having a body in the seat likely buying beer/food at the arena is better than nothing. MSG donates extra tickets to charity and writes it off.

 

[Chaels Arms]

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.

This is why, despite pretending otherwise, MSG will never really crack down completely on the secondary market. If STH's weren't able to recoup most of their costs on the secondary market most of them would stop being STH's.

 

[Cliffy1814]

Why does it make sense. The Rangers are sold out for the season and are very afraid of alienating their ST base. If they raised upper bowl tickets 8% and kept lower bowl tickets at a 0% increase I can see a lot of pissed off STH,s. If the tickets were raised across the board at roughly 4% I think there would be less people upset.
The problem is that if you have lower bowl tickets expecting to resell and make a profit it isn,t going to happen so I would only purchase a subscription to lower bowl seating if I planned on using the tickets

Alot of STH in upper bowl would be pissed, but lower bowl people (who feel alientated now) would be giddy.
easier to replace upper bowl STH with new subscribers than lower isn't it?

 

[Cliffy1814]

They follow the secondary market, yes. However, it is not supply vs demand, it is QUANTITY supplied vs QUANTITY demanded.

Let's take the Washington home game on the 24th, for example. If EVERY season ticket holder posted their tickets for sale for 20% over face value, do you think they would ALL sell? Absolutely not. Right now, you can say the quantity demanded at face value is 18,200 tickets (or whatever the capacity is now), however at 1.2 times face value, the quantity demanded drops. For a tuesday night game against Florida, I would say the quantity demanded at face value is not even 100%. Yes, it is sold out, but a big part of that is because the season ticket holders have to take that game. If the ticket reps emailed all the season ticket holders and offered to remove a game from the package and that game is a tuesday night in december against FLorida or a Western team, most would agree and they wouldn't be able to sell out the building.

This is the part the team do not seem to understand. They hear the scalpers or people on stubhub are getting $300 and up for the cheapest seats. Doesn't mean they all would have sold at $300.

$300 might be carrying things to the extreme no?

I sit in the blues ($47 seats). I can get $80 now for almost every game (4100+ for premium games).
If they raised price next year to $65 for a STH, the quantity available would increase as you said, thereby lowering secondary market price to somewhere in the $65 range.
The dynamic you described is exactly what I am talking about. I am not suggesting they raise price to level seen now on secondary markey.

BTW, If they raised the price to $65 they would have over 90% renewal rate.

 

[NYRKindms]

I don't think the rangers and teams like them give a real F about the STH. Yes they are nice to have as in they have a certain # of games pre-sold but for teams like the rangers it becomes a loss.

The STH isn't the person dropping money on beer and food etc etc. Those are the folks who go to enough games that the experience isn't the shiny new toy effect. These are the folks that know how to do games on the cheap.

MSG doesn't want those kinds of people in the seats. They want people drinking beers, buying food, picking up t-shirts etc etc. That is where the real money for MSG is. Those are the 2ndary folks which is the only reason why MSG would tolerate the market.

I suspect that they will move to take larger percentages of the 2ndary market as well as increase ticket prices.

I don't think they really care about pricing out STH.

 

[MessierIsGod]

I know, but honestly it was easy. I went all the time, and never had to wait for more than 2 people and that was with only 2 windows open. Early September is a dead time for the Garden, so it is not like they need their people for other things. However, the big gripe is their claim that other teams will only mail them out. Well, the one team I deal with that does, does not charge a $25 **** you fee for the delivery.

I got my tickets from Tom Poti at the box office one season.

 

[GordonGecko]

I don't think they really care about pricing out STH.

Except it's the STHs who create the interest and the buzz that makes the tourists want to go to games. If they lose the core fanbase they lose the ancillary crowd by proxy too

 

[Crease]

I got my tickets from Tom Poti at the box office one season.

Was he holding his purse?

 

[patnyrnyg]

This is why, despite pretending otherwise, MSG will never really crack down completely on the secondary market. If STH's weren't able to recoup most of their costs on the secondary market most of them would stop being STH's.

They can't crack down. Re-selling tickets is LEGAL in NY state, it is also ILLEGAL for the teams to revoke season tickets for re-selling.

 

[patnyrnyg]

$300 might be carrying things to the extreme no?

I sit in the blues ($47 seats). I can get $80 now for almost every game (4100+ for premium games).
If they raised price next year to $65 for a STH, the quantity available would increase as you said, thereby lowering secondary market price to somewhere in the $65 range.
The dynamic you described is exactly what I am talking about. I am not suggesting they raise price to level seen now on secondary markey.

BTW, If they raised the price to $65 they would have over 90% renewal rate.

I am assuming you mean $100+ and that was a type-o.

If they did, they would have a 90%+ for next year, I don't doubt that for a second. HOWEVER, if you are the type of person (and if you are, nothing wrong with it) who gets the tickets and uses the profit to off-set your costs, well if there is no profit, you are less likely to renew the following year without a drastic cut in price. Those who buy strictly to sell are definitely not going to renew the following year.

 

[NYRangers88]

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've been to 95% of the home games and there is no way that's true. Every goal people stand and cheer, even in the lower level.

 

[GordonGecko]

Speaking of, when do we get to see these new prices? I'm expecting an email any day now. I assume we will get our playoff invoice and renewal letter at the same time and the ability to save "10%" on playoff strips by renewing now.

Also looking forward to finding out what the chase card gift is for next year

 

[patnyrnyg]

Speaking of, when do we get to see these new prices? I'm expecting an email any day now. I assume we will get our playoff invoice and renewal letter at the same time and the ability to save "10%" on playoff strips by renewing now.

Also looking forward to finding out what the chase card gift is for next year

Probably another illegible autograph, but this time on a chase advertisement.

 

[RUSF18]

I don't think the rangers and teams like them give a real F about the STH. Yes they are nice to have as in they have a certain # of games pre-sold but for teams like the rangers it becomes a loss.

The STH isn't the person dropping money on beer and food etc etc. Those are the folks who go to enough games that the experience isn't the shiny new toy effect. These are the folks that know how to do games on the cheap.

MSG doesn't want those kinds of people in the seats. They want people drinking beers, buying food, picking up t-shirts etc etc. That is where the real money for MSG is. Those are the 2ndary folks which is the only reason why MSG would tolerate the market.

I suspect that they will move to take larger percentages of the 2ndary market as well as increase ticket prices.

I don't think they really care about pricing out STH.

Your points are valid now that the team is winning and the building will be full. They have roughly 18,200 x 41 games x the average ticket price = a ******** of money as a stable, recurring revenue base. Companies love guarantees like that. And yes, the extra profit comes from all that extra spending that takes place on game day. But if MSG loses their STH base, coupled with the team struggling, they'll find themselves at 80% capacity and that equates to a massive hit to the bottom line.

I also think MSG would be careful not to hit the 200 level customers with a big increase. They know the 100 level people would love to fill those cheaper seats, and then they'll be tasked with replacing all those more expensive season tickets which they're already having trouble getting rid of.

 

[patnyrnyg]

I don't think the rangers and teams like them give a real F about the STH. Yes they are nice to have as in they have a certain # of games pre-sold but for teams like the rangers it becomes a loss.

The STH isn't the person dropping money on beer and food etc etc. Those are the folks who go to enough games that the experience isn't the shiny new toy effect. These are the folks that know how to do games on the cheap.

MSG doesn't want those kinds of people in the seats. They want people drinking beers, buying food, picking up t-shirts etc etc. That is where the real money for MSG is. Those are the 2ndary folks which is the only reason why MSG would tolerate the market.

I suspect that they will move to take larger percentages of the 2ndary market as well as increase ticket prices.

I don't think they really care about pricing out STH.

In a way you are right. BUT, they need the season ticket holders. Without season ticket holders many of the games would not sell out.

 

[srsly989]

Where is the source on this?

 

[GordonGecko]

Where is the source on this?

On what?