New York, NY (Top40 Charts) StubHub, the world's largest ticket marketplace, today revealed its second annual Year In Live Events (YILE) report, which found that consumers globally are spending more than ever on live event experiences in a year marked by Canadian sports teams' success and homegrown artists with top selling tours. The top 10 selling events of the year in Canada were comprised of sports events, led by Toronto Blue Jays playoff games, and live music, with Beyoncé taking home the top spot out of all musical acts.
"At StubHub, we strive to connect fans to incredible event experiences and 2016 was an exceptional year for this," said Jeff Poirier, General Manager of StubHub Canada. "What we've seen is a year highlighted by once-in-a-lifetime event experiences, spanning local talent and team success to global events and tournaments based in the Canadian market. As these experiences become increasingly meaningful to fans, we will continue to invest in Canada through products and partnerships to make it easier for those fans to access live events on a trusted and transparent platform."
According to a survey of international consumers, globally, consumers have increased spend on live events by 8% in the last year.
Additional StubHub consumer insights and sales trends show that the event-going experience is becoming increasingly connected by mobile, driven by social connections and influencing travel plans.
Around the world, StubHub reports that mobile usage to purchase tickets is up, and users who switch from desktop to buying in the StubHub app tend to buy more tickets and spend more money.
Regardless of region, buyers are willing to travel more than two hours to a live event of their choice. Notably, Canada is in the top five globally in terms of residents travelling out of the country for live events, with 10 per cent of ticket buyers crossing borders for the events they crave. This number represents twice the global average. The most popular destinations for Canadians are the US for NHL and MLB games, followed by the United Kingdom for concerts and soccer matches.
Across all live events, the past year has been highlighted by deep playoff runs for the Blue Jays and Raptors, special sporting events such as the NBA All-Star Game and World Cup of Hockey, and grand musical tours featuring international stars (Beyoncé, Adele) and home-grown Canadian talent (Drake, The Tragically Hip, Justin Bieber). A recent third-party survey, commissioned by StubHub, shows that events like these are driving fans' happiness, with 88% of respondents saying live events make them happy and named their first concert as their best memory over first kiss and first job.
2016 Top 10 Overall Teams, Acts, and Events in Canada*
1. Toronto Blue Jays
2. NBA All-Star Game
3. Beyoncé
4. NBA Eastern Conference Finals
5.
Drake and Future
6. World Cup of Hockey
7. The Tragically Hip
8. Guns N Roses
9. Justin Bieber
10. Adele
(StubHub's Top Five Events in Canada, 2015: 1. Women's World Cup, 2. Toronto Blue Jays, 3. Taylor Swift, 4. AC/DC, 5. OVO Festival)
The Canadian sporting event landscape in 2016 was dominated by three of the big four sports leagues in North America. The Blue Jays and Raptors took top spots due to their postseason success and there was a clear link between each team's ticket sales and their place in their respective league's standings. Other popular events included the World Cup of Hockey and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
2016 Top 10 Sports Teams and Events in Canada*
1. Toronto Blue Jays
2. NBA All-Star Game
3. NBA Eastern Conference Finals
4. World Cup of Hockey
5. WWE
Survivor Series
6. Toronto Raptors
7. Montreal Canadiens
9. Vancouver Canucks
10. Edmonton Oilers
Top music events in 2016 were dominated by artist tours, with each of the top 10 spots being occupied by the world's top music acts making stops in Canada. Canadian ticket buyers showed their national pride, with Canadian acts occupying three of the top five spots.
2016 Top 10
Music Acts in Canada*
1. Beyoncé
2.
Drake and Future
3. The Tragically Hip
4. Guns N Roses
5. Justin Bieber
6. Adele
7. Bruce Springsteen
8.
Pearl Jam
9. Mumford and Sons
10. Florida Georgia Line
The report dove deep into the connection between sports fans and the music artists they love. The
Tragically Hip was the top pick of NHL and MLB fans, though
Justin Bieber came in at second for both sports.
Drake was the top pick for basketball and soccer fans.
2016 What Canadians Groove to - Where
Music and Sports Collide*:
*All lists represent top events based on total ticket sales in Canada on StubHub. Individual events for sports series have been combined to one entry.
Data provided throughout this release is compiled from StubHub and Ticketbis sales data and consumer buying habits, StubHub consumer insights studies surveys and buying trends from 2015 through 2016, and StubHub international strategic research on consumer behavior.
About StubHub
At StubHub, our mission is simple: help fans find fun. We connect fans with their favourite teams, shows and artists and introduce them to the ones they'll love next. As the largest ticket marketplace in the world, we enable fans to buy and sell tickets to tens of thousands of events, whenever they want, through our desktop and mobile experiences, including our StubHub app for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android. Offering a superior fan experience at its core, StubHub reinvented the ticket resale market in 2000 and continues to lead it through innovation. Our industry firsts include the introduction of the first ticketing application and the first interactive seat mapping tool. Our business partners include more than 60 teams in the CFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and NCAA, AEG, AXS and Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement. With the acquisition of Ticketbis in August 2016, throughout the world, StubHub provides the total end-to-end event going experience. StubHub is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY). For more information on StubHub, visit StubHub.com or follow @StubHubCA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or YouTube.com/StubHub.
