Monthly Archives: September 2018

StubHub Second Annual NHL Preview: Vegas Golden Knights Remain Most Sought After Ticket, Toronto Catches “Tavares Fever”

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The Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals see highest demand yet across StubHub ticket and eBay merchandise sales; New Year’s Day Winter Classic is a top-selling matchup

San Francisco, CA – Sept. 18, 2018 (PRNewswire) StubHub, the world’s largest event marketplace, today released its second annual NHL Preview, detailing the most in-demand teams and hottest-selling matchups heading into the 2018-2019 season.

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After a fairytale inaugural season, the Vegas Golden Knights are the most in-demand team for the second year in a row, propelled by a fervent fan base and a record-setting Stanley Cup run. The Golden Knights outsell the Toronto Maple Leafs, StubHub’s second top-selling team, by 27% and this year marks the first time a team has been at the top of the list for two consecutive years since the Chicago Blackhawks claimed the top spot for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 season starts.

“Last year was an unforgettable season for hockey fans and this year’s numbers tell us support isn’t slowing down for the Golden Knights after their historic run,” said Scott Jablonski, StubHub’s General Manager of NHL, NFL & NBA. “Not only are the Golden Knights the most in-demand team for the second year in a row, their home opener is also the top-selling matchup heading into this season.”

Other major insights unpacked in the season preview include:

Trends in the Top Ten

  • Toronto fans catch “Tavares Fever”: Since the announcement of John Tavares, the team has quickly rose in popularity according to StubHub ticket and eBay merchandise sales data. Maple Leafs landed at #2 on StubHub’s top-selling team list with 49% increase in demand since last season. The Leafs landed at #6 for most fan gear sold out of all NHL teams on eBay with a 366% increase in Tavares merchandise sold.
  • Washington Capitals generate their highest demand: The defending Stanley Cup champions rank #6 on StubHub’s top-selling team list, securing their highest ranking yet. On eBay, they are the #1 NHL team in terms of merchandise sales with 26,122 items sold in recent months.
  • Vegas Golden Knights lead top in-demand events: The Knights appear in four of the top ten most in-demand games. In the pre-season, The Golden Knights sold 18,295 items in the pre-season, securing it’s #2 spot on eBay for sales of fan gear.

Trending Teams

  • Anaheim Ducks enter their 25th anniversary season with a remarkable 82% demand increase from last year.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs see a bigger growth in demand than any other team with a 213% increase compared to the 2014 season start.

Hottest Games

  • The top two most in-demand games feature games from last season’s Stanley Cup Finals participants, Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals.
  • The 2019 New Year’s Day Winter Classic featuring Chicago Blackhawks versus Boston Bruins is already seeing strong demand as it’s the third top-selling matchup.

2018-2019 NHL regular season tickets are available for purchase on StubHub now. As always, StubHub backs all listings with its market-leading FanProtect™ Guarantee and NHL fans can use StubHub’s 360-degree Virtual View feature and price alerts technology to find the perfect seats for any game.

An overview of all StubHub stats and ticket sales data can be found here and hi-res graphics of top-selling games and teams can be accessed here.

About StubHub

At StubHub, our mission is simple: bring the joy of live to fans globally. We connect fans with their favorite teams, shows and artists and introduce them to the ones they’ll love next. As the largest ticket marketplace in the world, we enable fans to buy and sell tickets to tens of thousands of events, whenever they want, through our desktop and mobile experiences, including our StubHub app for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android. Offering a superior fan experience at its core, StubHub reinvented the ticket resale market in 2000 and continues to lead through innovation. Our industry firsts include the introduction of the first ticketing application, the first interactive seat mapping tool, and the first live entertainment rewards program. Our business partners include more than 130 properties in MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS and NCAA, plus AEG, AXS and Paciolan, and now the Tessitura Network. StubHub provides the total end-to-end event going experience throughout the world. StubHub is an eBay company (NASDAQ :EBAY ). For more information on StubHub, visit StubHub.com or follow @StubHub on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or YouTube.com/StubHub.

GOLF.com Launches “Play With The Pros”

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Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology powers industry’s first two-way, personalized instruction platform

New York, NY – Sept. 17, 2018 (PRNewswire) GOLF.com today announced the launch of “Play With The Pros,” the golf industry’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology for golf instruction. GOLF.com’s innovative new instruction platform will enable millions of golfers to immediately connect to a world-class golf teacher who will personally analyze a student’s golf swing and provide two-way golf instruction anytime, anywhere.

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The underlying Play With The Pros technology is called SwingAI. SwingAI uses artificial intelligence to accelerate a teaching pro’s ability to analyze and identify problems with a users’ swing. This information is then personally scored by the instructor, resulting in an interactive and personalized lesson plan designed to correct swing issues and advance a player’s overall game.

GOLF.com’s innovative new Play With The Pros instruction platform enables golfers to immediately connect with a world-class golf teacher to personally analyze a student’s golf swing and provide two-way golf instruction anytime, anywhere. (PRNewsfoto/GOLF.com)

Play With The Pros will also power leading golf instructors around the world, enabling them to scale their business and work with players of every skill level, in any location.

Tom Beusse, CEO of GOLF magazine and the GOLF.com website, said: “GOLF.com is our digital gateway to all things golf—from top-line journalism, to equipment and instruction, to travel and golf destinations. We are pleased to add this innovative Play With The Pros feature to the site, to further enhance the experience of golfers at all levels using the latest technology.”

The golf industry is going through a digital transformation that provides golfers a better user experience directly related to game improvement,” added Rick Geritz, CEO of SwingAI. “When players improve, they play more, buy more, and grow the entire game.”

Golf Teachers Highlight Value

Leading golf instructors that have used Play With The Pros believe GOLF.com’s new feature will radically improve golf instruction.

Kellie Stenzel, GOLF.com’s senior instruction advisor said: “Play with the Pros, powered by GOLF.com, will allow golfers to have access to the top teachers throughout the United States and the world. Each golfer will receive a personalized roadmap to success in an understandable and personalized lesson plan.”

Ms. Stenzel added: “Play With The Pros is a personal two-way instruction experience that gives me constant communication with my students, to monitor their progress and improvement in real time. Video can be uploaded from any smartphone, and the artificial intelligence (AI) engine helps me provide each student the most relevant information specific to improving their game.”

Carol Preisinger, 2017 LPGA Teacher of the Year and a GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher in America, said: “Play With The Pros is a transformative moment for golf instruction. The Artificial Intelligence engine allows me to rapidly create and manage the lesson plans of thousands of golfers simultaneously, resulting in game improvement that is affordable, accessible and on a player’s schedule. As a teacher, this allows me to help thousands of players worldwide.”

To experience Swing AI technology, subscribe to Play With The Pros on the GOLF.com website.

About GOLF

GOLF, including GOLF magazine, the GOLF.com website and associated social media platforms, is the premier digital and print platform for all things golf. Reaching an audience of 8 million golfers across its digital, print and social platforms, GOLF’s celebrated franchise includes the GOLF Top 100 Courses (including World and U.S. editions), GOLF’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play, GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers in America, the GOLF Fix Finder app, and GOLF Films productions. With innovative content on equipment, instruction, travel and lifestyle, GOLF is the definitive voice of the sport on and off the course, dedicated to enhancing every golfers’ enjoyment of the game.

About SwingAI

Golf instruction has changed forever. Your mobile phone camera is now your golf coach and golf instruction is now about you, your goals, your swing, and your schedule. SwingAI provides you a AI driven two-way, on demand golf instruction experience from the world’s top golf instructors, anytime, anywhere. Your golf swing is personally analysed and assessed producing a custom lesson plan and interactive teaching experience to help achieve your golf potential, SwingAI, Artificial Intelligence for golf instruction. For more information, visit playwiththerpros.us.

Contact:

Jim Haggerty – Jhaggerty@prcg.com
Isaac Benjamin – Ibenjamin@prcg.com
PRCG|Haggerty
(212) 683-8100