Industry News

SeatGeek begins selling through Snapchat

SeatGeek has become the first firm to begin offering sports tickets directly through messaging app Snapchat.

The mobile-focused ticketing platform provided US Snapchat users with the opportunity to purchase tickets to a Major League Soccer (MLS) match directly in the app last month.

Los Angeles FC was the first team to adopt the integration by posting a Snapchat Story that allowed users to swipe up and purchase tickets to the May 26 game without leaving the app.

LAFC also provided its fans with a Snapcode on its team website to go through the ticket buying process.

“We’re always looking to reach our fans in innovative ways, and selling tickets directly to our followers on Snapchat gives us an incredible opportunity to connect with our most dedicated supporters,” said LAFC president and co-owner Tom Penn in the announcement.

SeatGeek co-founder Russ D’Souza said, according to TechCrunch, that as “the pipe gets solidified,” there will be more Snapchat/SeatGeek ticket sales.

He added that this is the kind of integration he was hoping for when the company launched the SeatGeek Open platform a couple of years ago, allowing teams, musicians and other rightsholders to sell tickets directly through SeatGeek.

The platform also currently supports ticket sales through Facebook.

“For too long, the legacy ticketing approach has been to make it difficult for teams to sell tickets in lots of places,” D’Souza said. “Teams should want to sell their tickets in as many places as possible.

“What we’re excited about over the next few months is beating the drumbeat of openness with new partnerships … We want to drive the whole industry forward and create more tangible results that cause the industry to open up.”

Image: LAFC