Speeding Tickets: Messi, Swift, WNBA, Super Bowl, Drove StubHub Sales In 2023

By Barry Janoff

December 6, 2023: Lionel Messi was just named Time Magazine’s “Athlete of the Year” and Taylor Swift was named its “Person of the Year.”

For StubHub, Messi and Swift are also the “Hottest Ticket Sellers of the Year.”

Messi and Swift were major ticket drivers in sports and entertainment, respectively, in 2023, on the StubHub platform, along with the WNBA, women’s soccer, the NCAA hoops Women’s Final Four and the usual suspects of the Super Bowl, college football National Championship, the World Series and NBA Finals.

"This year's continued demand for tickets sold on our platform underscores the value fans place on live events, particularly when they travel," Cris Miller, StubHub chief business officer, said via the company.

"This year's top global touring artists were women and it's no surprise that Taylor Swift led sales with the biggest tour in StubHub history.”

According to the just-released StubHub 2023 Year in Live Experiences report, Messi's impact on Major League Soccer lifted the league: “Sales for the MLS season were up 160%, sales from buyers outside the U.S. went up 220% and Inter Miami CF became the most in-demand team in the league after his arrival.”

Messi, who joined Inter Miami CF in July, also spiked demand on the road, with Inter Miami CF away games making the top six games of the MLS season on StubHub.

The true star, however, was women’s sports and entertainment.

Swift's "Eras Tour" is the biggest in StubHub history: "She is the most searched artist of the year on StubHub with 127% more views than Coldplay, the second most-searched act."

The New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces competed in the highest-selling WNBA Finals in StubHub history, which saw the Aces earn their second consecutive WNBA title.

Ticket sales for the Liberty — which this past season added Breanna Stewart to its roster — were up 462% on StubHub, tops in the WNBA, followed by the Aces (165%) and Los Angeles Sparks (134%).

The NCAA Div. 1 Women's Final Four commanded a higher price than the men's tournament, and sales for women's soccer doubled over 2022.

Female artists drove 73% of overall sales for the Top Ten global touring artists and “Taylor Swift boasts the biggest tour in StubHub history.”

Concurrently, StubHub said Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles — with ticket buyers from 15 different countries — outsold Super Bowl LVI (Los Angeles Rams-Cincinnati Bengals) by 50%.

Photo: Formula 1The CFP Playoff game between Georgia and Ohio State (Peach Bowl) sold more tickets on StubHub than any other single-day sporting event.

F1 interest continues to rise: Four F1 races made the list this year, compared to two last year. The three U.S. races (Miami, Austin, Las Vegas) drew StubHub and viagogo buyers from across 88 different countries, according to the StubHub 2023 Year in Live Experiences.

Swift’s relationship with Chiefs TE Travis Kelce became its own ticket-mover.

Her first appearance in Kansas City spurred demand for Chiefs home games. The day after her first cameo at the Chiefs-Chicago Bears game in GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 24, “the Chiefs had more single-day ticket sales on StubHub than any other day since the season started.”

As a destination ticket-sales driver, “Las Vegas redefined the live event experience: The No. 1 spot for visiting fans, Vegas embodied immersive entertainment,” said StubHub.

That included Adele's multi-month residency and the F1 Grand Prix, as well as the Aces and NHL Vegas Golden Knights.

The Sphere, the most immersive venue to date, drew in visitors from 91 countries since its opening in Las Vegas in late September, with the 19,000-seat entertainment venue— estimated cost to build: $2.3 billion — hosting concerts from U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere (Sept. 29-Dec. 16, February-March 2024) and displaying eye-catching images on its exterior, which features 580,000 sq ft. of LED lights.

Looking ahead, StubHub said U.S. buyers would travel abroad for the Eras Tour, “invading Europe in the summer of 2024, women's sports leagues expand and college football will get a new look; and Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Olivia Rodrigo will be among top-selling artists for 2024.”
    
Top In-Demand Global Sporting Experiences

1. World Series (Rangers-Diamondbacks)

2. Super Bowl LVII (Eagles-Chiefs)

3. Las Vegas GP F1

4. NBA Finals (Nuggets-Heat)

5. College Football Playoff National Championship (Georgia-TCU)

6. Miami GP F1

7. Canada GP F1

8. U.S. GP F1 (Austin)

9. U.S. Open Tennis Finals and Semifinals

10. Stanley Cup Finals (Panthers-Golden Knights)

Ranking based on cumulative, global ticket sales on StubHub North America and viagogo international marketplaces for events in 2023, as of Nov. 28, 2023.

Top In-Demand Global Touring Artists

1. Taylor Swift

2. Beyoncé

3. Morgan Wallen

4. Adele

5. Coldplay

6. Bruce Springsteen

7. U2

8. Drake

9. P!NK

10. Ed Sheeran

Ranking based on cumulative, global ticket sales on StubHub North America and viagogo international marketplaces for events in 2023 as of Nov. 28, 2023.


Looking Ahead: Top Global Experiences in 2024

1. Taylor Swift

2. Coldplay

3. Olivia Rodrigo

4. Bruce Springsteen

5. Zach Bryan

6. Morgan Wallen

7. Madonna

8. Matt Rife

9. Billy Joel

10. Aerosmith

Ranking based on cumulative, global ticket sales on StubHub North America and viagogo international marketplaces for events in 2024 as of Nov. 28, 2023.

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