Ottawa RedBlacks owner OSEG signs StubHub as official ticket reseller

With the Ottawa RedBlacks preparing to host the CFL’s East Division final this Sunday, fans looking for tickets now have another option backed by the team.

 

On Tuesday, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group – which owns the RedBlacks, Ottawa 67’s and Ottawa Fury – said it signed a deal making ticket reselling platform StubHub the official ticket marketplace for its sports teams and events at TD Place.
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StubHub was already an option for ticket holders looking to sell seats they can’t use as well as for fans looking for a last-minute discount or seats in a specific part of the stadium.

However, John Mathers – OSEG’s vice-president of ticket sales and marketing – said the new arrangement would help protect ticket-buyers from fraud by enabling them to purchase seats on the resale market from a verified site.

He declined to discuss the financial details of the arrangement, such as whether OSEG would receive a commission on tickets sold through StubHub.

“We don’t approach this partnership as a revenue driver, but rather think of this as a fan-first partnership … (with) many mutually beneficial components” for OSEG and StubHub, Mr. Mathers said.

Earlier this year, the New York Yankees entered into an agreement with StubHub that saw the baseball team and ticket reselling platform split the profits, according to the New York Times.

The agreement with the Yankees also included a floor that limited how much a ticket could be discounted. This presumably limits the extent to which ticket resellers – who sometimes buy ticket packages that include a discount over single-game seats – can undercut the official box office on days when a game is not sold out.

Mr. Mathers declined to discuss whether there would be limits on how much OSEG tickets could be discounted on StubHub.

The Ottawa Senators and StubHub were previously official partners, but that agreement has since lapsed, according to StubHub.

There are fewer than 1,500 seats still available for Sunday’s game between the RedBlacks and Edmonton Eskimos, according to OSEG.

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