Sporting News Announces Ticket Partnership With TicketSmarter
IndustrySports
May 25, 2022
Dave Clark 0
TicketSmarter and The Sporting News have announced a partnership that will bring tickets to the publication’s readership powered by the ticket resale company. The deal is the latest in a series of media partnerships for TicketSmarter, which is based in Kansas.
As part of the deal, readers of The Sporting News will be able to purchase tickets directly related to the sports content on the platform through contextual integrations across the publication’s web, mobile web, and distribution points – reaching more than 35 million consumers and fans across the U.S. and Canada.
“We’re excited to welcome TicketSmarter as our official ticket partner for The Sporting News, offering our fans unique access to thousands of live events and experiences,” says Kerri Mattioli, SVP of Media and Business Development for the publication. “At The Sporting News we believe in working with partners that deliver value for our audiences and have proven across many different verticals that we know how to build brands and drive transactions in a non-intrusive and contextual way.”
The deal’s announcement comes as demand for tickets to live events continues to rise in the return to a restriction-free environment post-COVID. TicketSmarter reports that demand for sports tickets has risen by more than 130 percent in the last 30 days alone, with the trendlines steady as audiences have been allowed to get back to large scale gatherings.
“We believe that the future of ticketing is fast, easy and fan-centric,” said TicketSmarter CEO Jeff Goodman in announcing the deal. “By partnering with The Sporting News, we are integrating TicketSmarter into the fabric of their platforms, helping to grow our brand and offer their enthusiastic fanbase with contextual access to our direct and secondary resale marketplace to experience the power and excitement of live events.”
Goodman and TicketSmarter have been aggressive in pursuit of dealmaking, exposing the ticket resale marketplace to an ever-increasing audience through league and conference deals, as well as media deals like the one with The Sporting News. The company made similar deals with FanSided, Gannett/USA Today and iHeart Media in the last six months alone, as well as deals that made it the official ticketing partner of Country Stampede, the Pioneer League, and the Big Ten Conference. It touts partnerships with more than 35 collegiate conferences, 300+ universities, and hundreds of events and venues in North America, including its title sponsorship of the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl.
https://www.ticketnews.com/2022/05/sporting-news-announces-ticket-partnership-with-ticketsmarter/