Ebay just bought StubHub. This is smart. Ebay has some kinda relationship with Eventbrite through paypal, which seems to be cruising lately in the event registration market. Lots of web 2.0 companies use it like TechCrunch. I've checked eventbrite out. It's a great service if you don't mind sending your registrants to paypal. Paypal integration has caused us more pain than anything. This market is dominated by acteva, cevent and regonline and a bunch of other smaller players.
Stubhub actually pits Ebay against Ticketmaster and its owner, IAC. Online scalping business is a thorn in Ticketmaster's side. Of course, you could say that it isn't even TM's business. But, online scalping is a high margin business that TM thinks it is entitled to. (Update: TM does have a ticket auction marketplace.) And they have plans (ie have been talking about for a long while now) to make the online scalping business a moot point by helping promoters offer higher priced packages and real time pricing.
Up until now, though, AGILEAMY have let the "I" (ie IAC) own the online event business. This is a power move for Ebay.
More here, here, here and here.
Stubhub has the brand name. I like TicketNetworkDirect's business model, though. If eBay really wants to own this market or Ticketmaster wants to protect it, they should snap these guys up.
Recent Comments