Bieber Fever And Tennis Championships Top TicketsNow Entertainment Index Of Hottest-Selling Events In June

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., July 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- With summer in full swing, demand for high-profile events such as Justin Bieber and US Open Tennis continues to top the monthly TicketsNow Entertainment Index. The TicketsNow Entertainment Index was created by TicketsNow, Ticketmaster's resale marketplace, to track the most sought-after live event tickets in sports, concerts, and theater and to help fans stay informed about their favorite live entertainment options.

In June, ticket demand for traditional summer sports including baseball remained high across 95% (19 out of 20) of the markets measured, edging out some of the summer's hottest musical performers including Jason Aldean and American Idols LIVE! Overall, the sports category continued to dominate with tennis, baseball, and the basketball playoffs leading the category in June. Justin Bieber, Kenny Chesney, and One Direction led the concert category while The Book of Mormon, Wicked, and The Lion King were top draws in the theater category.

"With the wide diversity of entertainment choices this summer, it's a great time to be a fan of live entertainment," said Julia Vander Ploeg, general manager of TicketsNow. "TicketsNow is committed to ensuring the best fan experience, from offering leading-edge technology like our exclusive ticket validation and reissue system on select Ticketmaster tickets to our dedicated customer service and our unconditional fan guarantee."

Some of the more notable data collected in June includes:

• Interest in professional soccer tickets continued its momentum in June with demand for seats to see Sporting Kansas City, Houston Dynamo, San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire, Mexico National, and Real Madrid remaining high.
• College football makes an early appearance in the Index with fans already purchasing their tickets for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Arizona Sun Devils ahead of the new season.
• Fans are flocking to outdoor summer music fests including the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, Vans Warped Tour, The Identity Festival, The Influence Tour, and Lollapalooza.

Top-Selling Events for June 2012 Nationwide (ranked by # of tickets sold)

1. US Open Tennis
2. Justin Bieber
3. New York Yankees
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Chicago Cubs
6. Kenny Chesney
7. Detroit Tigers
8. One Direction
9. Boston Red Sox
10. Washington Nationals

Hottest Tickets by City

New York/New Jersey

1. US Open Tennis
2. New York Yankees
3. New York Mets
4. The Book of Mormon
5. Justin Bieber

Chicago

1. Chicago Cubs
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Justin Bieber
4. Roger Waters
5. Kenny Chesney

Atlanta

1. Atlanta Braves
2. Jimmy Buffet
3. Justin Bieber
4. One Direction
5. Kenny Chesney

Dallas/Fort Worth

1. Texas Rangers
2. One Direction
3. Justin Bieber
4. Kenny Chesney
5. Coldplay

Southern California

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. LA Angels of Anaheim
3. ESPN X Games
4. San Diego Padres
5. Justin Bieber

Denver

1. Colorado Rockies
2. Justin Bieber
3. Kenny Chesney
4. Peter Gabriel
5. Neil Young

Unlike other ticket resale websites that can only claim their tickets are authentic, TicketsNow is the only resale marketplace able to offer Ticketmaster verification and barcode reissue on all Ticketmaster tickets. Once a ticket has been authenticated, TicketsNow is able to electronically reissue that ticket – essentially invalidating the original barcode and emailing the consumer a new ticket with a unique barcode and issued in their name – ensuring ticket authenticity.

About TicketsNow
TicketsNow is your connection to all of the fun and excitement of live entertainment events. A leading online resale marketplace for music, theater, and sports tickets, TicketsNow provides fans secure and convenient access to tickets that are often hard to get through other distribution channels. TicketsNow is the only resale marketplace with the ability to validate tickets and fulfill them through Ticketmaster's TicketFast™ delivery. A Live Nation Entertainment company, TicketsNow powers a number of partner marketplaces, including the Official Fan Marketplace for Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, Radio City Music Hall, US Open Tennis, Los Angeles Lakers, Allstate Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl Classic, Capital One Bowl, and Champs Sports Bowl, as well as several other college bowls and universities. For more information, visit www.TicketsNow.com, www.facebook.com/TicketsNow and @TicketsNow.

SOURCE TicketsNow