Kings' Variable Ticket Pricing Revealed

The Kings recently announced the team is introducing variable ticket pricing this season. The announcement was just in time, as season ticket holders have received (or are receiving) their tickets, and lo and behold, the variable/demand prices are listed right there on the tickets.


Thankfully, our heroic STH editor section214 has compiled the data on the demand prices for his $40.50 seats. There are few surprises, but I still find it to be fascinating data nonetheless. Many thanks to the good sir 214 for his work on this.

Again, without variable pricing all of these tickets would have been sold by the Kings for $40.50. Outlined below are the price levels and what games fall under each. Note that the Eastern Conference teams all visit once, all Pacific Division teams visit twice and the remainder of the West teams visit once or twice.

$75 (Damn!) Level

Heat

$57.50 (Ching-Ching) Level

Lakers

$40.50 (Break-Even) Level

Raptors (home opener), Nets, Hornets, Bulls, Mavericks, Rockets (Sunday afternoon game), Suns, Nuggets, Blazers, Celtics, Jazz, Thunder, Magic, 76ers (return of Hawes!)

$37 (Discount) Level

Grizzlies, Pistons, Wizards, Warriors (?!), Clippers (weekday evening game near Christmas), Hawks, Spurs (!), Rockets (weekday evening game)

$33 (Practically Free!) Level

Wolves, Knicks, Pacers, Bucks (!), Bobcats, Clippers (weekday evening game in late February), Cavaliers

***

A few interesting notes here:

* The franchise is banking on those previously mentioned Sunday 3 PM start times, with the Rockets game in that category listed as more expensive than a Monday night game against the same team. The other two Sunday afternoon games: the Jazz (break-even) and Pistons ($37).

* The Heat game represents an 85 percent mark-up at this price level. And I have no question it will sell out within the first week individual tickets are available. (Maybe the first day.) The Lakers games (up 42 percent at this price level) might not sell out right away. If the April Lakers game doesn't, expect that price to come down sometime during the season.

* I'm fairly shocked to see the Celtics game not marked up (always a sell-out), and the Bulls at the break-even level is (pleasantly) surprising, too.

* Bucks at Kings (Dec. 23, 7 PM) is the value of the year, given the way the teams played against each other last season, the personalities and matchups involved, and the fact that I'm going to wrestle Andrew Bogut in a steel cage at halftime.