NFL ticket prices rise above pre-Covid levels, aftermarket vendor says
Tom Brady (12) of the Buccaneers shakes hands with Patrick Mahomes (15) of the Chiefs after the regular season game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 29, 2020 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Welch Cliff | Sportswire icon | Getty Images
Tickets for the next NFL season are selling at a lower average price on the SeatGeek secondary market platform compared to a year ago, the company said, but they are still higher than pre-season levels. pandemic.
Ticket prices averaged $307 immediately after the NFL schedule was released on Thursday. Fans were especially interested in marquee games, like star quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs taking on NFL legend Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That price is down from an average of $411 last year, but is above the $305 average in 2020, when games were restricted due to Covid. The average in 2019 was $258. Ticket prices generally fluctuate throughout the NFL season as demand changes.
High ticket prices indicate people are still spending heavily on entertainment and live sports despite inflation at its highest level in 40 years. “I think people want premium experiences, want to go out, and they’ve been turned away for several years now,” Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Friday. He added, “People want to hang out, they want to have experiences. They want to live their life a bit.”
SeatGeek CEO Jack Groetzinger in an interview with CNBC on Thursday predicted that “the next few years for live entertainment will be gangbuster years.”
SeatGeek said the Chiefs vs. Bucs in Week 4 – featuring Mahomes and Brady – is the best-selling game to date. This is a Super Bowl LV rematch in 2021, when the Buccaneers beat the Chiefs, 31-9. The most expensive seat for the Oct. 2 game topped $3,000 coming in Friday.
The legendary NFL quarterback appeared to retire this offseason before announcing in April that he was planning to return, after all. When he finally decides to retire, Brady will go on TV after agreeing a deal with Fox Sports for over $300 million.
Tickets to see the Dallas Cowboys, Bills, Rams and Cincinnati Bengals round out SeatGeek’s top five selling teams entering the weekend.
Rival ticket company Vivid Seats said tickets for Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle on Sept. 12 have been among the most in demand. Prizes for this game averaged $451 per ticket. The Seahawks traded their longtime quarterback to the Broncos in March. And Wilson’s return could be the most requested Seahawks ticket since 2019, predicted Vivid Seats.
The NFL kicks off its 18-week program with the Buffalo Bills visiting Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 8 at SoFi Stadium. The game will air on the NBC network, whose parent company, NBCUniversal, also owns CNBC.