By Zachary Baru
With non-stop chatter about what the Celtics could do during the off-season, the expectation for something "big" seems to be growing more and more from Celtics fans. There is, of course, the possibility that nothing at all happens. No trade, no Kevin Love, just a number six draft pick, and possibly another year of rebuilding. But could Celtics fans take it, and what would it mean for the Celtics brand?
One thing that Celtics ownership should not worry about is the long-term stability of the brand, which undoubtedly would remain strong. But should another year of rebuilding occur, attendance could start to dip, similar to 2006-07 levels when it finished at 16,843.
And then there are those ratings. Especially the radio ratings, for which a new contract was signed during the 2013-14 season with WBZ-FM 98.5 The Sports Hub. Another rebuilding year would mean a second consecutive year of low Celtics ratings with the new flagship station of the franchise.
Sure there are some draw-backs, but should the Celtics go through the summer without making any big-time deals, another year of rebuilding would arguably be the best option for the franchise, and the brand long-term. Unless the Celtics are sure they can go deep into the playoffs and make some serious noise, rebuilding just might be the direction to take in a market that demands championships.
Making it to the playoffs and reaching the second round is not enough for fans in Boston, who have high expectations for not just the Celtics, but for all of its franchises. So can the magic of the 2007 off-season happen again? Celtics fans will just have to wait and find out.
Should nothing happen, the Celtics brand will not be seriously affected. Just expect to see some extra black and gold seats at TD Garden.
Zach Baru can be followed @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
NFL Draft in Boston? Where, why, and how?
By Zachary Baru
Imagine football-crazy Boston hosting one of the sport's most popular events. No, not the big game, the big made-for-TV event: the NFL Draft.
According to a report earlier this month by the New York Post's Bart Hubboch, Boston was one of seven cities to apply to host the NFL Draft. The other six cities include New Orleans, Philadelphia, Orlando, Chicago, Los Angeles and Canton, Ohio.
While some people may laugh at the possibility of the NFL moving the event out of New York, this year's draft was pushed back two weeks due to scheduling conflicts with the venue. The city of New York has hosted the draft since 1965, and the 6,015-seat Radio City Music Hall has served as the host for the past nine years. National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell has said that he does not want to give up on Radio City entirely, but what if the decision to move was made? Would Boston be a suitable host?
If the concern is over venues, Boston has that covered. Whether it is a large venue like the 17,565-seat TD Garden - which will begin a two-phase $70 million renovation this summer - or small venues like the 3,600-plus seat Wang Theatre, Boston has multiple options to host such an event.
Mass transit would certainly not be an issue in Boston between its subways and commuter rail, and Logan Airport's close proximity to downtown adds to Boston's claim as a candidate with potential. Boston has no shortage of hotel rooms, perfect for the thousands of media members, and both league and team officials who will be attending the weekend-long event.
As the NFL continues to take applications for the draft, don't count out Boston as a potential host city for football's most popular non-sporting event.
Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
Imagine football-crazy Boston hosting one of the sport's most popular events. No, not the big game, the big made-for-TV event: the NFL Draft.
According to a report earlier this month by the New York Post's Bart Hubboch, Boston was one of seven cities to apply to host the NFL Draft. The other six cities include New Orleans, Philadelphia, Orlando, Chicago, Los Angeles and Canton, Ohio.
While some people may laugh at the possibility of the NFL moving the event out of New York, this year's draft was pushed back two weeks due to scheduling conflicts with the venue. The city of New York has hosted the draft since 1965, and the 6,015-seat Radio City Music Hall has served as the host for the past nine years. National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell has said that he does not want to give up on Radio City entirely, but what if the decision to move was made? Would Boston be a suitable host?
If the concern is over venues, Boston has that covered. Whether it is a large venue like the 17,565-seat TD Garden - which will begin a two-phase $70 million renovation this summer - or small venues like the 3,600-plus seat Wang Theatre, Boston has multiple options to host such an event.
Mass transit would certainly not be an issue in Boston between its subways and commuter rail, and Logan Airport's close proximity to downtown adds to Boston's claim as a candidate with potential. Boston has no shortage of hotel rooms, perfect for the thousands of media members, and both league and team officials who will be attending the weekend-long event.
As the NFL continues to take applications for the draft, don't count out Boston as a potential host city for football's most popular non-sporting event.
Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Bruins-Canadiens at Gillette in 2015? It just might happen
By Zachary Baru
When hockey fans found out last year about about the league's inaugural Coors Light NHL Stadium Series, there was a lot of skepticism about the success of four additional outdoor games. Would it saturate the market, and would they even be able to sell out four stadium-sized games? National Hockey League fans quickly found out the strong demand for outdoor hockey, as the four games between the three cities of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles all sold out. The 220,000 tickets for the games meant more than $40 million in revenue according to SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily, leading the league to look for continued success in 2015.
This is where Boston comes into the picture. According to the same report by SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily, a game at Gillette Stadium between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens has been discussed. Fortunately for Boston, the franchise has a lot of reasons to persuade the league to include them in next year's Stadium Series.
First comes the demand. The Bruins currently have overwhelming demand, and a game such as Boston-Montreal would easily sell out 68,756-seat Gillette Stadium. As for the venue, it is perfectly suitable for hosting such an event, as the increased amount of media members could be accommodated well both at the stadium and at the hotel on the property. Renaissance Boston Patriot Place Hotel & Spa is conveniently located within walking distance from the stadium, which is not only ideal for the media, but also for fans traveling in who want to make a weekend-trip out of visiting Patriot Place. The lifestyle and entertainment center includes dinning, shopping, concerts and a movie theater, making it an ideal site for an event such as the Stadium Series.
In addition to hospitality and entertainment options, Gillette Stadium can also be accessed by public transportation via MBTA Commuter Rail. The MBTA has run special trains for years to the Foxboro Station during Patriots games. While the rail line is not part of any MBTA revenue service lines, the CSX-owned tracks can connect to MBTA's Franklin line to serve Boston's South Station, and also to MBTA's Providence/Stoughton line south to Providence. The MBTA has already announced continued service for the "Football Train" to Gillette Stadium for all Patriots home games in the fall of 2014.
So could it really happen? All signs point to outdoor hockey finally coming to Foxborough. The site has the demand, the venue, and the accessibility of public transportation. Cross your fingers hockey fans, a Bruins-Canadiens game with 68,000 of your closest friends just might become a reality.
Source: SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily
Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
First comes the demand. The Bruins currently have overwhelming demand, and a game such as Boston-Montreal would easily sell out 68,756-seat Gillette Stadium. As for the venue, it is perfectly suitable for hosting such an event, as the increased amount of media members could be accommodated well both at the stadium and at the hotel on the property. Renaissance Boston Patriot Place Hotel & Spa is conveniently located within walking distance from the stadium, which is not only ideal for the media, but also for fans traveling in who want to make a weekend-trip out of visiting Patriot Place. The lifestyle and entertainment center includes dinning, shopping, concerts and a movie theater, making it an ideal site for an event such as the Stadium Series.
In addition to hospitality and entertainment options, Gillette Stadium can also be accessed by public transportation via MBTA Commuter Rail. The MBTA has run special trains for years to the Foxboro Station during Patriots games. While the rail line is not part of any MBTA revenue service lines, the CSX-owned tracks can connect to MBTA's Franklin line to serve Boston's South Station, and also to MBTA's Providence/Stoughton line south to Providence. The MBTA has already announced continued service for the "Football Train" to Gillette Stadium for all Patriots home games in the fall of 2014.So could it really happen? All signs point to outdoor hockey finally coming to Foxborough. The site has the demand, the venue, and the accessibility of public transportation. Cross your fingers hockey fans, a Bruins-Canadiens game with 68,000 of your closest friends just might become a reality.
Source: SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily
Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Red Sox look for another ratings increase in 2014
By Zachary Baru
As the Boston Red Sox come off their eighth World Series title in 2013, the team looks for another ratings increase on the New England Sports Network.
In 2013, NESN ratings rose 14 percent from 2012. This was good for a 7.3 local rating in the nation's seventh largest media market. Fenway Sports Group, the owner of the Boston Red Sox, is a majority owner of NESN, owning 80 percent of the regional sports network.
The ratings increase comes during a season that saw the Red Sox capture their third World Series title since 2004, and generated big ratings during the postseason. The 2013 World Series on Fox averaged an 8.9 national rating and 14.9 million viewers, up 17 percent from 2012.
So much for all the "will fans come back?" we heard after the collapse of 2011. Never doubt Red Sox fans, and more importantly, never doubt Boston sports fans in general.
One challenge the Red Sox will face in ratings will be from another team in town, the Bruins, who own 20 percent of NESN. With much of the spotlight of Boston sports fans being consumed by the Bruins as they enter the postseason, ratings may take a while to get up to potential. But as the 2014 season gets underway with a strong and fan-appealing lineup, the Red Sox look to continue their ratings success for another season of high local numbers.
Source: Forbes, Nielson Media Research
Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
As the Boston Red Sox come off their eighth World Series title in 2013, the team looks for another ratings increase on the New England Sports Network.
In 2013, NESN ratings rose 14 percent from 2012. This was good for a 7.3 local rating in the nation's seventh largest media market. Fenway Sports Group, the owner of the Boston Red Sox, is a majority owner of NESN, owning 80 percent of the regional sports network.
The ratings increase comes during a season that saw the Red Sox capture their third World Series title since 2004, and generated big ratings during the postseason. The 2013 World Series on Fox averaged an 8.9 national rating and 14.9 million viewers, up 17 percent from 2012.
So much for all the "will fans come back?" we heard after the collapse of 2011. Never doubt Red Sox fans, and more importantly, never doubt Boston sports fans in general.
One challenge the Red Sox will face in ratings will be from another team in town, the Bruins, who own 20 percent of NESN. With much of the spotlight of Boston sports fans being consumed by the Bruins as they enter the postseason, ratings may take a while to get up to potential. But as the 2014 season gets underway with a strong and fan-appealing lineup, the Red Sox look to continue their ratings success for another season of high local numbers.
Source: Forbes, Nielson Media Research
Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Celtics find themselves on bottom of standings, middle in attendance
By Zachary Baru
As the Celtics' tough season continues on the court, off the court things aren't so bad. Not yet at least.
Fortunately for the Celtics' front office, the franchise finds themselves 14th out 30 teams in attendance, averaging 17,934 fans per home game at TD Garden. With a 20-39 record, it is another reminder of how truly great of a market Boston is for sports.
The Celtics find themselves well behind the attendance-leading Chicago Bulls, who are averaging a remarkable 21,636 fans per game at the United Center. It should be noted that Chicago - the nation's third largest media market - is also second in National Hockey League attendance, as the Blackhawks are averaging 21,571 fans per game.
Ready for some more numbers? Even better than the Celtics' attendance average is their capacity. The Celtics are at 96.3 percent capacity this season, which is good for 11th in the league. Seven teams, including the New York Knicks, have capacities at or above 100 percent. The Dallas Mavericks find themselves on top in this category, with an impressive 103.5 percent capacity.
Is the Celtics success just a carry-over effect from the Big Three era? Most likely, but this market has one thing that will always be true - passion. Even during the Celtics miserable 2006-07 season, Boston still averaged 16,843 fans per game.
However this difficult season will end for the Celtics, it is great to see the Celtics doing so well at the gate. While Boston enjoyed a 100 percent capacity season last year, it is no surprise that attendance has taken a hit during this transition year for the franchise. With 12 home games remaining, the Celtics hope to continue keeping TD Garden as close to capacity as possible.
Source: ESPN, NBA, NHL
Zach Baru can be followed @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
As the Celtics' tough season continues on the court, off the court things aren't so bad. Not yet at least.
Fortunately for the Celtics' front office, the franchise finds themselves 14th out 30 teams in attendance, averaging 17,934 fans per home game at TD Garden. With a 20-39 record, it is another reminder of how truly great of a market Boston is for sports.
Ready for some more numbers? Even better than the Celtics' attendance average is their capacity. The Celtics are at 96.3 percent capacity this season, which is good for 11th in the league. Seven teams, including the New York Knicks, have capacities at or above 100 percent. The Dallas Mavericks find themselves on top in this category, with an impressive 103.5 percent capacity.
Is the Celtics success just a carry-over effect from the Big Three era? Most likely, but this market has one thing that will always be true - passion. Even during the Celtics miserable 2006-07 season, Boston still averaged 16,843 fans per game.
However this difficult season will end for the Celtics, it is great to see the Celtics doing so well at the gate. While Boston enjoyed a 100 percent capacity season last year, it is no surprise that attendance has taken a hit during this transition year for the franchise. With 12 home games remaining, the Celtics hope to continue keeping TD Garden as close to capacity as possible.
Source: ESPN, NBA, NHL
Zach Baru can be followed @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Patriots overnight ratings well below top weekend rated Broncos-Chargers
Sunday's AFC Championship game between New England and Denver looks to be a massive ratings success, just month's after the two teams produced the league's highest November prime-time ratings in 17 years.
The Patriots' overnight rating last Sunday of 19.1 was far short of the top weekend-rated Broncos-Chargers game, which earned a 25.7 rating. When the Patriots faced the Broncos earlier this season on November 24 for NBC's "Sunday Night Football, the game earned a 17.0 overnight rating, and a 28 share. The strong rating marked the highest November ratings for a prime-time game in 17 years.
Ratings are the percentage of television homes in the U.S. tuned into television, and a share is the percentage of televisons in use that are tuned to a specific program.
How do the two markets rank? The Boston and Denver media markets rank seventh and seventeenth in the U.S. respectively. The Boston market has 2,433,040 TV homes, while Denver has 1,574,610 according to Nielson.
Sunday's 3 p.m. game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver should put up great numbers, as Tom Brady will be facing Peyton Manning for the 15th time. Ratings this year for the AFC title game could top last year's 47.7 rating for the game between New England and Baltimore on January 20, 2013.
With two of the most noticeable personalities in sports facing off, Sunday's game has great potential for an enormous ratings success.
Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Variable pricing to benefit both the Red Sox and fans
By Zachary Baru
In an industry that has seen many changes in recent years when it comes to ticket sales, the need to fill the ballpark to capacity and the growing competition from the secondary market has forced the Boston Red Sox to introduce a popular trend in ticket sales, variable pricing.
Variable pricing is more than raising prices for the dates with the highest demand, it also includes lowering prices for the dates with the lowest demand, giving fans the opportunity to purchase tickets in 2014 from the box office for as low as $10. This will give the Red Sox a better chance to sell out certain dates that statistically do not sell well. And yes, the statistics are about the dates, not the opponents.
The Red Sox conducted an internal study, ranking the 81 home dates from most to least desirable for fans to purchase. This resulted in a schedule with five tiers of pricing, starting with Tier 1 being the highest, and decreasing to Tier 5, comprising of the 16 least desirable dates.
According to the team's study, some of the most popular dates statistically are after the All-Star game in July. Make no mistake, the variable pricing structure is very much a statistical approach, and one that will allow the team to maximize prices to reflect the market value.
Without the ability to increase or decrease prices based on demand, the Red Sox are at a disadvantage against the secondary market, which allows market value to determine prices. By the Red Sox introducing variable pricing, the team is moving closer to competing with websites like StubHub, where fans can sell tickets to other fans, and sometimes at prices below face value. This is something that occurred all too often during 2012.
Now that that the Red Sox have captured another World Series title, and have won back fans, the team will attempt to stay in front of the competition, and curb as many secondary market sales as possible. The opportunity for fans to purchase tickets at a lower price for games with a lower demand is not only fair, it is essential to selling out games, and more closely resembles supply and demand. All Major League Baseball teams now have some form of variable pricing, and the Red Sox should not be any different. Finding ways to increase ticket sales while still offering lower priced tickets presents an opportunity to meet the needs of both the team and the fans, and illustrates why variable pricing is such an effective pricing strategy.
Zach Baru can be followed @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
In an industry that has seen many changes in recent years when it comes to ticket sales, the need to fill the ballpark to capacity and the growing competition from the secondary market has forced the Boston Red Sox to introduce a popular trend in ticket sales, variable pricing.
Variable pricing is more than raising prices for the dates with the highest demand, it also includes lowering prices for the dates with the lowest demand, giving fans the opportunity to purchase tickets in 2014 from the box office for as low as $10. This will give the Red Sox a better chance to sell out certain dates that statistically do not sell well. And yes, the statistics are about the dates, not the opponents.
The Red Sox conducted an internal study, ranking the 81 home dates from most to least desirable for fans to purchase. This resulted in a schedule with five tiers of pricing, starting with Tier 1 being the highest, and decreasing to Tier 5, comprising of the 16 least desirable dates. According to the team's study, some of the most popular dates statistically are after the All-Star game in July. Make no mistake, the variable pricing structure is very much a statistical approach, and one that will allow the team to maximize prices to reflect the market value.
Without the ability to increase or decrease prices based on demand, the Red Sox are at a disadvantage against the secondary market, which allows market value to determine prices. By the Red Sox introducing variable pricing, the team is moving closer to competing with websites like StubHub, where fans can sell tickets to other fans, and sometimes at prices below face value. This is something that occurred all too often during 2012.
Now that that the Red Sox have captured another World Series title, and have won back fans, the team will attempt to stay in front of the competition, and curb as many secondary market sales as possible. The opportunity for fans to purchase tickets at a lower price for games with a lower demand is not only fair, it is essential to selling out games, and more closely resembles supply and demand. All Major League Baseball teams now have some form of variable pricing, and the Red Sox should not be any different. Finding ways to increase ticket sales while still offering lower priced tickets presents an opportunity to meet the needs of both the team and the fans, and illustrates why variable pricing is such an effective pricing strategy.
Zach Baru can be followed @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
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