StubHub Launches Virtual Reality Feature and Announces 10 Most Popular Events This Summer in Canada

StubHub Launches Virtual Reality Feature and Announces 10 Most Popular Events This Summer in Canada

Rogers Centre and Molson Canadian Amphitheatre Are the First Venues to Receive the Virtual Reality Treatment From StubHub; Guns N’ Roses Leads List of Top Events

StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketplace, today unveiled its new virtual reality product feature in Canada, virtual view, and announced its list of the country’s 10 most popular events for the summer, as dictated by demand on the marketplace’s site. StubHub’s virtual view uses virtual reality technology to allow fans to get a 360-degree view from their section while purchasing tickets to the hottest events of the summer, loaded with Canadian favourites on the baseball field and the stage.

Rogers Centre for Blue Jays games and Molson Canadian Amphitheatre for all concerts will be the first to receive this virtual reality treatment in Canada. Baseball fans and concertgoers will be able to pan around the stadium or amphitheatre, fully immersing themselves in some of the most iconic views in sports and entertainment in Toronto, as they enjoy these hot events this summer and beyond.

Looking at total sales for live events in Canada during the 2016 summer season, StubHub’s list reveals that fans are gravitating to the music stage – particularly for Canadian music acts – more so than the baseball diamond. Canadian men dominate the top 10, with Drake in the #2 spot, The Tragically Hip landing in #3 and #6 for their Toronto and Kingston dates, and Shawn Mendes closing out the list at #10. The list also shows Canadian fans’ strong affinity to nostalgia with legacy acts Paul McCartney and Sting showing a strong presence. Guns N’ Roses proves to be the hottest ticket of the summer, as their one Canadian stop in Toronto takes top spot for the highest sales for a single event, a distinction previously held by Drake in 2015.

The Blue Jays game against the Cleveland Indians on Canada Day is the only baseball game all summer to hit the most popular events. Festivals don’t make the list of top 10, but their demand continues to grow as newer localized festivals like Field Trip, Wayhome, TURF, and Bestival are driving up overall sales for festivals in Canada on StubHub.

TOP EVENTS*

1. Guns N’ Roses – Rogers Centre – July 16^th

2. Drake – Air Canada Centre – July 31^st

3. The Tragically Hip – Air Canada Centre – August 12^th

4. Adele – Rogers Arena – July 20^th

5. Toronto Blue Jays v. Cleveland Indians – Rogers Centre – July 1^st

6. The Tragically Hip – K-Rock Centre – August 20^th

7. Paul McCartney – FirstOntario Centre – July 21^st

8. Sting – Air Canada Centre – June 29^th

9. Luke Bryan – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre – June 25^th

10. Shawn Mendes – Air Canada Centre – August 21^st

*total sales for a single-event in Canada on StubHub from June 17 to Labour Day

Other Summer event season trends spotted by StubHub in Canada:

• Comparing lead Canadian male singers, Drake’s date outsells Shawn Mendes’ date by 215%
• Country star Luke Bryan is the best deal with the lowest selling price for a ticket bought on StubHub at $6 and the overall lowest average ticket price at $87
• Fans can beat the holiday crowd and see the Blue Jays one day earlier than Canada Day for a 47% lower average ticket price
• Adele may be the only female on the list, coming in at #4, but she commands more per ticket on average than eight of the artists
• Festivals continue to gain momentum. Osheaga has held the top festival position over the last three years but Shambhala Music Festival takes the spot this year, indicating a strong demand for Electronic Music in Canada

StubHub’s Top Events by Region:

• Toronto: Guns N’ Roses, Drake, The Tragically Hip, Toronto Blue Jays v. Cleveland Indians, Paul McCartney
• Calgary: The Tragically Hip, Zac Brown Band, Sting, Bill Maher, Billy Idol
• Vancouver: Adele, The Tragically Hip, Shambhala Music Festival, Flight of the Conchords, Dixie Chicks
• Montreal: Sting, Osheaga, Celine Dion, Paul Simon, 5 Seconds of Summer
• Edmonton: The Tragically Hip, Sting, Chris Cornell, Meat Loaf, Bill Maher
• Winnipeg: The Tragically Hip, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Chris Cornell, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas

StubHub continues to provide unparalleled and convenient access to live events through its iOS and Android mobile and tablet apps. With the addition of virtual view, fans can see where they’ll be sitting on their phones or tablets before attending their favourite show or baseball game by simply moving their phone. With virtual reality goggles, fans can insert their iOS or Android phone into the viewer and move their head from side-to-side for an even more immersive virtual reality experience. Not only will fans be able to see the most in-demand concerts and baseball games this summer, but they’ll know their sightlines before the big event, helping to make a more informed and personalized ticket selection.

Additionally, StubHub’s app includes personalization tools, recommendation notifications and exclusive partner content to make it easier than ever for fans to discover live events. With iTunes library scanning (on iOS), personalized algorithms to identify team and artist favourites and more, the StubHub app helps ensure fans won’t miss some of their favourite acts, while also providing for the opportunity to discover new acts based on personalized recommendations.

About StubHub

At StubHub, our mission is simple: help fans find fun. We connect fans with their favorite teams, shows and artists and introduce them to the ones they'll love next. As the world’s largest marketplace, 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, the first interactive seat mapping tool and the first live entertainment rewards program, Fan Rewards™. Our business partners include more than 60 teams in MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and NCAA, AEG, AXS and Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement. Throughout North America, the United Kingdom and Germany, as well as Mexico, France, Austria and Switzerland, 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 @StubHub on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or YouTube.com/StubHub and @StubHubCA on Twitter.

StubHub
Shannon Kelly, 647-532-3481
shannonkelly@stubhub.com

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