NOTE: Bloomberg Second Measure launched a new and exclusive transaction dataset in July 2022. Our data continues to be broadly representative of U.S. consumers. As a result of this panel change, however, we recommend using only the latest posts in assessing metrics, and do not support referring to historical blog posts to infer period-over-period comparisons.
As the travel industry recovers and in-person events—such as Broadway shows, sports games, and live concerts—restart in some parts of the U.S, the major event ticketing platforms have seen rising sales. During the height of shelter-in-place orders in April 2020, overall sales among a select set of ticket marketplaces (Ticketmaster, Vivid Seats, StubHub, and SeatGeek) declined 97 percent year-over-year. Ticket sales remained low through early 2021, as many event venues remained closed. However, since March 2021 the industry has experienced an uptick in sales.
Some event ticketing platforms have already reached pre-pandemic sales levels as of June 2021. SeatGeek’s sales have rebounded the most among the competitive set, with June 2021 sales more than double that of June 2019. Similarly, Vivid Seats’ sales in June 2021 were 53 percent higher than sales from two years ago, and Ticketmaster’s sales were 21 percent higher. StubHub’s recovery has been slower than its competitors, with June 2021 sales still 37 percent lower than sales from June 2019.
In terms of market share, Ticketmaster has the highest share of sales among its major competitors, accounting for 66 percent of sales within this select competitive set in June 2021. SeatGeek’s share of sales was the lowest, at 9 percent. Vivid Seats earned 10 percent of sales among these ticket marketplaces in June 2021, while StubHub’s share was 15 percent.
Ticketmaster’s sales recovery varies by metro area
A closer look at Ticketmaster’s monthly sales between June 2019 and June 2021 reveals that event ticket sales in certain metro areas are recovering faster than others. Between June 2019 and June 2021, Ticketmaster’s national sales increased 21 percent.
Among the top 10 most populous metro areas, only Washington D.C., Dallas-Fort Worth, and Miami had sales growth above the national rate in this time frame, with increases of 24 percent, 34 percent, and 43 percent, respectively. Ticketmaster sales in Chicago increased 18 percent between June 2019 and June 2021, while for Los Angeles, that number was 5 percent. On the other hand, as of June 2021, Ticketmaster sales in Boston are still half of what they were two years ago.
*Note: Bloomberg Second Measure regularly refreshes its panel and methods in order to provide the highest quality data that is broadly representative of U.S. consumers. As a result, we may restate historical data, including our blog content.