StubHub signs deal for Big East tournament  

 

Multiyear deal will make StubHub the official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace for the conference’s men’s basketball tournament. 

 

 

StubHub and the Big East Conference have struck a multiyear deal in which the secondary ticketing company will become the official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace for the conference’s men’s basketball tournament.

 

Marking a first for the popular New York-based tournament, StubHub will gain a variety of online and offline marketing assets, including courtside rotational signage, exposure and links on the event’s Web site, regional TV and radio advertising during Big East regular-season games, and an exterior banner presence outside host site Madison Square Garden.

 

The deal expands StubHub’s official involvement in short-run sports events, following prior efforts with NASCAR’s Daytona 500 and other races at International Speedway Corp. tracks. It is the first time StubHub has gained official rights to a college basketball conference tournament.

 

The company has individual school deals with Big East members Georgetown, Louisville and St. John’s.

 

“The Big East is something we’ve been after for more than three years,” said Eric Freeland, StubHub manager of business development. “I do think the continued acceptance of the secondary market played a role here, and it simply made a lot of sense to do this."

 

Tickets for the conference tournament each year are among the more-sought-after tickets for any New York-area sports event.

 

“This wasn’t a category we had filled before, but we felt with the high demand around this event and the desire among fans to get their hands on tickets, particularly single-session tickets, that the timing was now right,” said Nick Carparelli, Big East senior associate commissioner.

 

Financial terms were not disclosed. ISP Sports, the Big East’s exclusive marketing partner, aided the conference in striking the deal.




This article has been reprinted with the permission of SportsBusiness Journal.