After a successful trial at the end of the 2023 MLB season, the Miami Marlins and ticketing platform TicketRev have entered into a three-year partnership. This partnership will continue the Marlins’ use of the white-labeled “Make Your Pitch” program on their MLB.com subsite and introduce a new product for 2024 called “Seat Upgrades,” available in the MLB Ballpark app.
Make Your Pitch allows fans to submit ticket offers for Marlins home games at loanDepot Park, targeting preferred seat locations within a suggested fair offer range. In 2023, these offers were manually reviewed by the Marlins’ VP of Strategy & Analytics, Christian Lowe. Now, the process is automated, providing instant feedback to users via text or email, according to TicketRev co-founder and CEO Jason Shatsky.
Shatsky highlighted the importance of quick responses to fan offers, saying, “One of the biggest things that we learned [in 2023] is that fans don’t want to wait to know if their offer has been accepted or rejected.” The automation allows teams to set criteria for automatic acceptance, streamlining the process.
TicketRev facilitated the sale of a “few hundred tickets” through the Make Your Pitch program in 2023, with over a quarter of those buyers being new to the Marlins’ database. Shatsky emphasized that it’s an effective way for teams to attract new fans and for fans to buy tickets within their budget.
The new Seat Upgrades feature allows existing ticketholders to submit offers for seat upgrades within a preferred location range, also providing instant feedback. This product is designed for fans already at the venue or those browsing within 24-48 hours of the event.
Currently, Make Your Pitch is available only on MLB.com, and Seat Upgrades within the Ballpark app, but Shatsky mentioned that Make Your Pitch will eventually be available on the latter platform.
Miami-based TicketRev has four full-time employees and the Marlins are their first multiyear partner. TicketRev has also activated with the Houston Astros and is attracting interest from other teams, including the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, and Kansas City Royals, with agreements already in place with these clubs. TicketRev’s last funding round in April 2023 raised $1.1 million, supported by investors including the Minnesota Twins/Techstars, 500 Startups, Soma Capital, and Groove Capital.
