Vivid Seats Renews Multi-Year Deal with ESPN as Official Ticketing Partner
NEW YORK and CHICAGO, Jan. 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ESPN Enterprises, Inc. (“ESPN”) and Vivid Seats Inc. (NASDAQ: SEAT) (“Vivid Seats”), a leading marketplace that utilizes its technology platform to connect millions of buyers with thousands of ticket sellers across hundreds of thousands of events each year, today announced a multi-year renewal of its relationship that builds upon the digital integrations powering the partnership, with a significant focus on linear and addressable media.
As the Official Ticketing Partner of ESPN, Vivid Seats will continue to provide ESPN users and sports fans across the country with easy access to one of the deepest and broadest selections of tickets for sporting events. Since 2017, ESPN and Vivid Seats have worked together to integrate a seamless ticket-buying experience from Vivid Seats throughout ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
“Our partnership with ESPN will continue to leverage our state-of-the-art technology platform to ensure that it can provide ESPN’s impressive base of users with a highly personalized, seamless ticketing experience only Vivid Seats can provide,” said Geoff Lester, Chief Commercial Officer at Vivid Seats. “As we continue to partner with category leaders like ESPN, the extension of our relationship is another strategic step in solidifying Vivid Seats’ position as the marketplace of choice.”
“We are very proud of the long-standing relationship between ESPN and Vivid Seats,” said Andrew Messina, senior vice president, Disney Advertising Sales. “The continuation of this collaborative effort is a great win for both ESPN and Vivid Seats and we’re excited about the anticipated growth from here.”
In connection with the renewal, Vivid Seats will continue to be the exclusive provider of ticket links and digital banner advertising for sporting events across ESPN digital platforms. Additionally, Vivid Seats has launched an extensive media campaign across ESPN platforms to introduce its new brand identity and drive awareness amongst the more than 150M people ESPN reaches on a monthly basis.
In 2021, ESPN Digital has averaged 102.5 million unique visitors per month in the U.S., 16% larger than the # 2 entity in the category and up +12% from 2020. Additionally, in October, ESPN Digital had its best month ever and set a U.S. Sports category record of 120.0 million users.
About Vivid Seats
Founded in 2001, Vivid Seats is a leading online ticket marketplace committed to becoming the ultimate partner for connecting fans to the live events, artists, and teams they love. Based on the belief that everyone should “Experience It Live”, the Chicago-based company provides exceptional value by providing one of the widest selections of events and tickets in North America and an industry leading Vivid Seats Rewards program where all fans earn on every purchase. Vivid Seats has been chosen as the official ticketing partner by some of the biggest brands in the entertainment industry including ESPN, Rolling Stone, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Through its proprietary software and unique technology, Vivid Seats drives the consumer and business ecosystem for live event ticketing and enables the power of shared experiences to unite people. Vivid Seats is recognized by Newsweek as America’s Best Company for Customer Service in ticketing. Fans who want to have the best live experiences can start by downloading the Vivid Seats mobile app, going to vividseats.com, or calling 866-848-8499.
About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Julia Young, Vivid Seats
Julia.Young@vividseats.com
