Pittsburgh Pirates Begin Dynamic Ticket Pricing in 2012

The Pittsburgh Pirates are  catching up with Major League Baseball, your cousin Geno,  and what ticket scalpers have been doing for a very long time.  Well, I should really say the Pirates are running a test this this year of a system that other MLB, NBA, and NHL teams have used for a number of years.

The Bucs are going to use 1,400 bleacher and general admissions seats for each game.  The seats will vary in price all based on demand beginning ten days before the game will start.

What will happen is this system allows the Pirates to earn more money for games that are in higher demand.

Easy.

Simple.

Ladies and Gentlemen, put your hands together…there you go…standing ovation ensues.

If the Pirates keep making these smart business decisions, it could get scary in Pittsburgh.  We heard rumors today about the Bucs adding even more pitching.  Wow.  So anyway, some day soon we trust, the Pittsburgh Pirates should be generating cash flow that could actually keep several of the talented players that are on the way to Pittsburgh—- in the Burgh.  It’s great to see the team starting to get things together.

If you can imagine the Buccos home opener for example, the 1,400 tickets the Pirates have now will go on sale at 10am on Thursday March 29.   The only other large amount of available tickets for the Pirates/Phillies PNC Park opener would be on sites such as Stub Hub, etc.   [Take a guess what the cheapest ticket on Stub Hub is right now.  It’s for a Standing Room Only ticket]

The Pirates tickets which would normally be priced at $9 will definently cost more on Opening Day.  The demand will drive the price, but it’s hard to believe the Pirates will ever be able to catch up to the secondary market increases, but nevertheless, the team will be making some money.  How much will depend of course on the demand.

We love the idea.  When looking at the Pirates 2012 schedule it is very apparent the Bucs got a screw job from MLB this season.  Not only do they have the toughest schedule in April, but from a business side of things, any time you get Philadelphia for your opener, the season is off to a rough start.

Think about it.  The Houston Astros could roll in to Pittsburgh for the opener and everyone and their sister’s kids will be at PNC Park.  So having Philly in town will be a sell out as well, but it would be nice to have Philly on some tougher dates as they will fill up PNC Park for most every game.  But that’s not the only example of the tough tickets to sell for the team this season.

Look around the holidays, look at the mid week.  Ugh.  It’s ugly nevermind don’t look, I am taking the link down.

It comes in cycles of course, but there couldnt be a better time for the Pirates to roll out dynamic ticket pricing.  Well actually yes there could be, it would have happened years ago.