WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 7, 2008 -- The USTA today announced Ticketmaster was selected as the exclusive enterprise-wide ticketing resale partner for the US Open. Under the new partnership, TicketsNow, a Ticketmaster company, will operate the only sanctioned, official US Open ticket exchange, where US Open fans can purchase tickets posted for sale by US Open subscribers and other ticket holders in a secure, convenient marketplace. The multi-year deal begins with the 2008 US Open and continues through 2012. Ticketmaster also will continue to record 715,000 people attended the US Open, resulting in significant ticket demand and making the event, once again, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world.
The US Open ticket exchange service will allow US Open ticket holders who are unable to attend specific sessions to post their tickets for sale -- including premium courtside subscriber inventory that is otherwise unavailable to the general public on a single-session basis. Fans will be able to find tickets being offered for resale by logging on to USOpen.org and selecting the US Open Ticket Exchange option. There fans will find all available tickets for upcoming US Open sessions for purchase. In addition, fans can access these tickets via
Ticketmaster.com and
Ticketsnow.com.
"The secondary ticket marketplace has grown significantly in recent years and the time is right to broaden our existing relationship with Ticketmaster and provide a sanctioned and safe means for a fan-to-fan ticket exchange," said Michelle Wilson, Chief Marketing Officer, Pro Tennis, USTA. "Our goal is to ensure that this access continues, but in a reliable and convenient way for the fans".
"We are excited to be selected as the exclusive, authorized resale marketplace for the USTA," said Cheryl Rosner, president and chief executive officer for TicketsNow. "We (Ticketmaster and TicketsNow) bring fans of the US Open more options, and a safe, secure and convenient marketplace".
The 2008 US Open will be held from Monday, August 25th through Sunday, September 7th at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY, and will include day sessions beginning at 11 am and night sessions beginning at 7 pm through Thursday, September 4th, 2008. Finals Weekend will feature the Women's Singles Semifinals on Friday, September 5th; the Men's Singles Semifinals on Saturday, September 6th; the Women's Singles Final in primetime at 8 pm on Saturday, September 6th; and the Men’s Singles Final at 4 pm. on Sunday, September 7th, 2008.
About the USTA
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. It owns and operates the US Open, the largest annually attended sporting event in the world, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 94 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. A not-for-profit organization with 720,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.
For more information contact:
Chris Widmaier, Senior Director Public Relations;
914-696-7284;
Widmaier@usta.com
About Ticketmaster
As the world's leading live entertainment ticketing and marketing company, Ticketmaster connects the world to live entertainment. Ticketmaster operates in 20 global markets, providing ticket sales, ticket resale services, marketing and distribution through www.ticketmaster.com, one of the largest e-commerce sites on the Internet; approximately 6,700 retail outlets; and 21 worldwide call centers. Established in 1976, Ticketmaster serves more than 10,000 clients worldwide across multiple event categories, providing exclusive ticketing services for leading arenas, stadiums, professional sports franchises and leagues, college sports teams, performing arts venues, museums, and theaters. In 2007, the company sold more than 141 million tickets valued at over $8.3 billion on behalf of its clients. Ticketmaster is headquartered in West Hollywood, California and is an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI).
