Gametime

If you’re a Gametime user and not already using Apple Pay for your checkouts then now would be a perfect time to start. By Adding Apple Pay on your iPhone, you can select it as your default payment method in the Gametime app. Buy any ticket on the app with Apple Pay now through August 31 and you’ll automatically be entered to win $1000 in Gametime World Series credit! The winner will be selected on 9/1 just in time for the heat of the pennant race! You could be taking in the Fall Classic courtesy of Gametime and Apple Pay!

‘Connect’ Creates Real-Time View of Events Your Friends Will Attend and How to Join Them

Gametime is introducing an entirely new way for fans to discover live entertainment. The new Connect feature acts as a prospective social network. It allows fans to see which games and shows their friends are planning to attend and helps to bring them closer together through shared experiences.

Connect presents upcoming games and shows friends will be attending via Gametime. Users can select “Join Friend” and will be immediately directed to the closest seats available. Connect also displays friends that are selling tickets for upcoming events with personalized messaging describing the experience at those seat locations. Connect lives on the tab bar on the Gametime iOS app. Fans simply sign in with Facebook to discover friends’ planned activities within the stream.

Connect goes live today for Gametime users in the SF Bay Area and Los Angeles. The offering will expand to additional markets in the coming weeks.

Watch it in motion here...

“Connect creates an entirely new way to live your life. It's not just a social network. It's not just a marketplace. It's a much more intuitive way to find your way together with friends,” said Brad Griffith, Gametime Founder and CEO. “Today, social networks are retrospective.  We’re excited to bring a prospective view of what friends will be doing to Gametimers. People have more fun with their friends so our goal is to make it easier to learn what friends are doing and to get larger groups together.”

To support the launch, Gametime has created a video showing the potential impact of Connect. The video, developed in partnership with Chamber Media, showcases key elements of Gametime’s promise to fans by highlighting the story of two friends’ crazy day gathering more friends to get to a game.

In 2013, Gametime reimagined the way people transact on mobile. Today, with over 2 million downloads by sports and music fans, the company redefines the way mobile applications help bring people together.

To learn more about how Gametime mobilizes friends, download the app on the App Store or Google Play, or visit http://gametime.co. Visual assets for Connect can be found in our Press Room.

Gametime is excited to introduce its latest innovative feature called Snap & Sell. With conflicts and ever changing schedules, Snap & Sell enables fans to quickly sell tickets at the last-minute, completely hassle free. Now in limited release, Snap & Sell will rollout to all Gametime users in the coming weeks.

In 2013, Gametime reimagined the buyer experience for mobile with high-res photos, curation, two-tap checkout, and zero printing. With the Snap & Sell release, Gametime makes selling extraordinarily easy. Simply take a photo and you’re done; no manual data entry or pricing updates required. Existing selling mobile experiences can require a dozen taps and many minutes of the selling fan’s time where Snap & Sell requires three taps and 30 seconds.

“We’re exploring new ways to simplify and enhance the mobile experience for modern fans. After two years of reimagining ticket acquisition from the ground up for mobile, we're now building the simplest and fastest way to sell tickets at the last minute,” said Brad Griffith, Gametime Founder and CEO. “Snap & Sell advances Gametime’s mission of increasing togetherness by making it easy for fans to move unused tickets to other fans that want to attend. With up to 18% of tickets going unused for sold out events, simplifying selling is a massive opportunity to increase utilization and togetherness.”

Snap & Sell is accessed through the My Tickets menu listing on the home screen. From there, fans simply snap a photo of their paper or ticket stubs, just as you would when depositing a check via mobile banking. Once the image is uploaded, Gametime takes it from there, managing the entire process from start to finish including completing the ticket description, price setting and optimization and listing on the app in a matter of moments. When a ticket is sold, users receive Gametime credit for the full sell amount, with no fees deducted during the launch phase. Cash payouts via Venmo and Paypal will be available soon. 

Snap & Sell features include:

Photo Uploading - Photo upload tickets in seconds for any event, just as you deposit checks via mobile banking.

Hands Off Selling - Gametime automatically adjusts prices with the market so sellers never need to check if their listing is still competitive. The feature will present an expected payout prior to completing listing.

Extended Listing Window - Users can list tickets up to 60 minutes AFTER an event begins for most events.

No Seller Fees - For a limited time, Gametime will not deduct fees for sales. Users will receive cash credit on Gametime for the full amount their sale.

The launch of Snap & Sell comes as the company approaches its third anniversary in May.

Over the past year, Gametime has announced over $13 million in Series A funding led by Accel Partners and sports and entertainment industry moguls such as Casey Wasserman, David Blitzer, Jeff Mallett and Vivek Ranadive. Explosive growth has ensued, buttressed by the launch of music events on the app last December and an expansion to nearly 50 markets in North America. In January, mobile payment platform Venmo selected Gametime to launch its new merchant pay feature.

Opening Day is just a week away and the New York Yankees are going all in on mobile, but not without some controversy.

The Bronx Bombers announced they will discontinue the popular print-at-home (PDF) ticket format beginning this season. The team will make the shift to a mobile format as the new supplement for traditional hard tickets.

The announcement was met with concern from the Yankee faithful, while the media speculated how the change might lead to lower attendance. Others saw the move to mobile as a defensive measure to take back market share from secondary ticket site StubHub. But what’s been overlooked is that this technology is commonplace across the league with the vast majority of teams having introduced mobile ticketing over the last few seasons. In fact, with the Yankees adoption, Major League Baseball becomes the first major sports league to unanimously accept mobile tickets at all of its venues. Beyond baseball, most professional sports franchises now accept and even promote fans to use their cell phones to buy tickets and enter the venue.  

What took them so long? Smartphones are quickly becoming the default for many purchases. This technological shift is inevitable; it’s also irrefutably convenient. Mobile ticketing puts an end to the need for printer access to get into games. It’s akin to what email did for sending letters, saving both time and resources.

Mobile ticketing first appeared in baseball stadiums around 2010. Quickly noticing its potential, the Mets and San Francisco Giants were among the first in the league to adopt it. Others soon followed as clubs began to see the benefits of mobile tickets, which include reduced printing, postage and distribution costs as well as more visibility into who actually attends games—which improves fan loyalty programs. Not to mention fewer fans panicking at the gate after realizing they left their tickets on the kitchen table.

Yankees fans should rejoice in this shift. Yankee Stadium can fit over 52,000 fans. However, last year the average home-game attendance was only around 39,000. Mobile ticketing offers easier access to games, which leads to a fuller house. And a fuller Yankee Stadium  improves the fan and player experience, and ultimately creates more visibility and revenue for the team.

At Gametime, we’ve been building this reality for a number of years. The Yankees’ move is a watershed moment, as the team is forcibly migrating its fans to the modern on-demand economy. Drastic? Perhaps, but it’s time for change.

With the mobile economy exploding, more and more services live at our fingertips. Event tickets are the ultimate vehicle for last-minute entertainment. Like Uber for transportation or HotelTonight for accommodations, mobile technology creates another convenience for sports fans. Teams and venues are quickly rolling out in-stadium apps for fans to order concessions, access parking, view stats and replays, and more.

Gametime Launches in the Entertainment Capital of World

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but now fans of Sin City have the easiest access to all the top events and those ensuing stories that follow through the Gametime app. We’ve recently rolled out Las Vegas as our 47th metro market and its currently home to shows and sporting events like Mariah Carey, Britney Spears and UFC 196. Coming in the next few weeks will be the Pac-12 and Mountain West Conference tournaments, Monster Jam World Finals, Justin Bieber and a reunited Guns N’ Roses in April at the brand new T-Mobile Arena.  Vegas is all about the look and who wants to be caught dead trying to print a ticket when you can tap your way to the hottest shows on the Strip and beyond rolling with Gametime.

Warriors continue pace to set all-time NBA wins record

The number 73 already stands as one of the most amazing single season records in all of sports. On October 7, 2001, just a few weeks after the horrific attacks on the World Trade Center and before the shadows of doubt from the BALCO scandal, Barry Bonds hit a looping curveball into the right field arcade at then Pacific Bell Park to set the all-time single season homerun mark in Major League Baseball. While the mark stands controversial 15 years later given the speculation and era in which it was set, 73 still ranks as the all-time mark for homerun greatness in baseball. One that likely will for many many years, if not forever.

That record number has now taken on new meaning to the sports world as The Golden State Warriors enter the final month of the regular season, one game ahead of the pace of Michael Jordan’s 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who set the all-time single season record for wins at 72. 

It seems the Warriors and their amazing MVP Stephen Curry are destined to continue the run of greatness into the final stretch and eclipse the hallowed mark, establishing another monumental record at 73? or possibly even more? ESPN currently gives the Warriors a 50% chance to get 73 wins.

When we originally posted this story over weeks ago, the Warriors were on the All-Star Break with Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all actively involved in the All Star Weekend action in Toronto. Curry and Thompson staged an epic 3pt Shootout on Saturday with Thompson taking home the honors.

We questioned whether the lack of rest of the team’s leaders would take its toll as the Warriors headed out for a daunting cross country six game road trip?  

Well, that came to some fruition with a Friday night pasting by a white hot Portland team that saw the Warriors look like a hungover basketball team.

Following that, the team got its game back and handled a treacherous road trip with an exclamatory W on Saturday night in epic fashion with Curry and Co. beating the OKC Thunder in OT on an incredible half-court jumper from Steph for the win. 

The Dubs slept walked through a Sunday matinee against the woeful LA Lakers for their sixth loss, setting another record in the process, falling victim to the greatest regular season upset in NBA history. 

After a 6-0 homestand, the Warriors now stand an incredible 61-6 heading on the road to Texas, where a clash of the Titans awaits in San Antonio on Saturday night. The Warriors haven’t won a regular season game at the Spurs in nearly 20 years. Despite, defeating the Spurs by 30 in late January, we expect a hard fought loss to ensue. That would leave the team at 62-7 (assuming a win vs Mavs prior) before they head to Minnesota then home for 8 of their next 9 at Oracle Arena with one stop in Utah in between. 

One can never assume, but legitimately expect, the team to continue to play perfect at Oracle which brings us to April 7th at home vs. San Antonio where the team should stand 71-7. Could they get the Spurs once again for the record tying 72nd win? The following game would be a Saturday night in Memphis for the record breaking win.

Select Users are Now Able to Use Venmo as a Payment Option within Gametime

Gametime users have enjoyed lighting fast checkout since the app launched in 2013 and starting today the options for payment have gotten even that much faster. Venmo, the payment service that has gained massive popularity in the last few years, has chosen Gametime as an initial launch partner its new feature that allows select Venmo users to pay using Venmo.

Now in limited release, Venmo will invite a select group of its users starting today, to use Venmo as a payment option and will continue to add new users regularly.  Stay tuned for more information in the following weeks about a general public launch.

Once you connect your Venmo account to Gametime (iOS-only to start), you’ll get all the great features of Venmo in your mobile purchase experience, including: Make a payment fast and simple, split the bill with ease, share your purchase on the news feed, and know that your payment is safe and secure.

“Part of the mission of Gametime is to make the purchase of tickets as convenient as possible,” said Brad Griffith, Gametime Founder and CEO. “We already know Venmo is massively popular among our heavy base of millennial users. We’re excited to be one of the first apps to allow those consumers to pay for their tickets with their Venmo balances.”

Venmo’s GM Mike Vaughn commented, “Launching with Gametime was a natural fit given the synergies between their user base and ours. Their app has become extremely popular with a younger demographic that actively uses Venmo and we expect to learn much from their fans behavior as we prep for a wide release.”

Venmo joins Apple Pay and traditional credit cards as the multiple payment methods on Gametime. With each method automatically connected to a user account, fans simply click pay with their desired method upon checkout.

For more information on the new feature, check out the Venmo blog here.

Questions? Gamtime users can contact our Fan Happiness Team via [email protected]

The Ultimate Last Minute Gift for Fans

It’s an annual conundrum, what to get your loved one at the last minute? The stores are closing and the online retailers can’t ship in time, but the Gametime ap will deliver your gift faster than Santa can get down a chimney. Buying tickets as a gift is a fantastic way to show the fan in your home some love. Take them to their favorite game over the holidays or send them those tickets instantly via text or email. What better solution for that 11th hour shopper! Two taps and you’re done shopping and you’ve made someone special very happy this holiday season. Whether its a holiday season NBA game, college bowl game or NFL Playoffs perhaps, there is something for every fan at Gametime in a matter of seconds.

Christmas Day NBA Game Guide

Pelicans vs. Heat - BEST DEAL - prices starting at $39

Bulls vs. Thunder - GREAT DEAL - starting at $48

Cavs vs. Warriors - NBA FINALS REMATCH - starting at $324

Gametime Expands its Mobile Ticket Platform Serving On-Demand Fans Adding Concert Events to Sports Lineup

We are ready to rock with music events now live on Gametime!!  Events will debut in five key markets: San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Chicago and Seattle, with additional cities following quickly. Tickets for upcoming shows by The Weeknd, Muse, Odesza, Justin Bieber, Billy Joel and Metallica can now be purchased in seconds for venues like San Francisco’s legendary Fillmore, New York’s Radio City Music Hall, LA’s Staples Center and the Showbox in Seattle. In total, Gametime has activated nearly 150 events for close to 50 venues for its launch cities with many more to follow in the coming weeks.

Continuing its mission to better connect fans through access to live events, Gametime will offer mobile enabled concert tickets even after a show begins - a key consideration for concert goers who may not be interested in opening acts but wish to buy closer to the time headline performance, possibly scoring a last minute deal. Gametime will now also list concert events much further in advance, months rather than weeks, to ensure its customers can snag tickets to their favorite shows when they go on sale. For example, Justin Bieber’s tour stops in New York in July are already live on Gametime.

“Our users have wanted the same instant delivery and spontaneity for music that we offer with sports tickets for some time. We’re excited to fulfill those requests and welcome even more music fans to Gametime,” said Brad Griffith, Founder and CEO of Gametime. “Ultimately, whether fans decide hours or weeks before to attend an event, we want them to enjoy the most seamless experience from browsing to purchase without worry about printing or forgetting tickets.”

In just over two years, Gametime has grown a heavy base of millennial, mobile-savvy and spontaneous fans who voiced the need for a live music ticket provider offering the same on-demand, seamless experience Gametime delivers for sports tickets. With the infrastructure in place, and sports side of business firmly established, expanding into live music was a natural progression for Gametime.

The Golden State Warriors have set the NBA afire with their incredible play and run of 20 consecutive victories to start this season (24 counting the four to end 2015). Not only has the entire team elevated its play from the championship season a year ago, they’re currently in a pursuit of one of the longest running records in all of sport. 33 consecutive wins by the 1971-1972 Los Angeles is the gold standard in the NBA. 

Consequently, the Warriors are the hottest ticket in the NBA. Thousands of fans sit anxiously on a season ticket holder waiting list, while the masses utilize secondary resources like Gametime to find single game access. The season to date has featured a number of high profile games and driven market prices to unforeseen levels. Routinely, tickets in the upper reaches of Oracle Arena are well over triple digits. The team’s next home game vs. Phoenix Suns on 12/16 currently carries a get in price of $130 for an upper corner seat. Christmas Day against the Cavs? Try $270 just to get in the door. 

And as we course towards season’s end, the Chicago Bulls single season wins record of 72 could be challenged and whenever that possible 73rd win may occur, it will flip quickly into the hottest ticket of the year. While the holiday season pricing may be daunting, there are still some games left in this historic season that have considerable value. To see live what could become the greatest single season in NBA history without breaking the bank is more than worth it. With that, its a good idea to look at these 10 games for the most affordable and competitively priced tickets remaining on the Warriors home schedule. At press time, each game had tickets under $100 for get in.

Best Remaining Value Games for 2015-2016 Warriors (as of 12/4)

Jan. 11:  Miami Heat 

Jan 22:  Indiana Pacers

Jan 27:  Dallas Mavericks

Mar 1:  Atlanta Hawks

Mar. 7:  Orlando Magic 

Mar 9:  Utah Jazz

Mar. 14:  New Orleans Pelicans 

Mar. 27:  Philadelphia 76ers 

Mar. 29:  Washington Wizards 

April 5:  Minnesota Timberwolves 

St. Louis Blues @  NY Rangers - Thurs - 7p ET

NHL’s two hottest teams face off

Blues have dominated series 12-2 in recent years

Lowest Price: $80

Two of the NHL’s best will meet on Thursday night in New York where the Rangers have been dominating the competition as of late. The Blues have been stellar on the road, going 3-0 on their current trip. Historically, the Blues have owned the Rangers going 12-2 since 2000-01.

#21 Memphis @ #24 Houston - Sat - 7p ET

Both teams combined 17-1

Houston looking to validate its resume with win over ranked team

Lowest Price: $36

The American Conference has been stellar this season with three teams ranked nationally this season. Two of them face off in Houston on Saturday for conference superiority and a chance to stay alive for New Years Day bowl invitations. For the price, it may be the best college football game of the weekend.

#12 Oklahoma @ #6 Baylor - Sat - 8p ET

Game of the week college football

Can Baylor notch its first win vs. ranked opponent?

Lowest Price: $207

Its time for Baylor to show what they’re made of. The Bears have been ransacking their opponents through most of this season awaiting a nationally ranked foe. They’ll get it this week with #12 OU along with the national spotlight of ESPN College Gameday. Baylor needs this game along with the rest of its Big 12 schedule to make the coveted top 4. Will they be able to do it with their back up QB?

Patriots @ Giants - Sun - 4:25p ET

How long can the Pats remain undefeated?

Will their recent Super Bowl rival break their streak?

Lowest Price: $261

The NFC East leading Giants have scratched and clawed to get into the playoff mix this year. But will their woeful defense be able to slow down the Patriots juggernaut at home? In Super Bowl XLII no one gave them a realistic chance either but they derailed the Pats undefeated season. Let’s see what Eli and Company can do with another chance.

Cardinals @ Seahawks - Sun - 8:30p ET

Key matchup for NFC Playoff positioning

Can Cardinals lock up NFC West division with win?

Lowest Price: $216

Growing that is! Our 46th market is Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada!

Gametime is thrilled to announce the addition of Winnipeg, as our seventh Canadian market and completing our offering of the entirety of National Hockey League teams. Tickets are now available for the Winnipeg Jets and Blue Bombers. The Jets have gotten off to a 8-4 start and are 4th in NHL Central Division. The Jets have stepped up their game and made it clear that this year is going to be better than their last, previously coming out 11th overall. As for football, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers missed the playoffs this season but will be back next year with something to prove. If a Jets or Bombers fan, make sure you catch a game live in Winnipeg for an affordable price using the Gametime app.

A solid slate of games this week that matter starting tonight in Golden State with the white hot NBA Champion Warriors hosting the undefeated Clippers. It continues this weekend with college football games of national significance and finishes Sunday with the NFC game of the year between the undefeated Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers.

*Gametime Five lists only those events that can be purchase through the Gametime app. Download Gametime at www.gametime.co  

Clippers @  Warriors - Tonight - 10:30p ET

Can anyone stop Steph Curry?

Battle of NBA unbeatens

Lowest Price: $218

The Golden State Warriors have picked up right where they left off in June and look even better than the team that hoisted the NBA Championship trophy. They host their rivals from the south tonight in the LA Clippers and will test the heat meter on MVP Steph Curry to see if he can continue is epic start to the season.

#5 Notre Dame @ Pittsburgh - Sat - 12p ET

Notre Dame on edge of CFB playoff slot

Pitt with chance to regain national respect

Lowest Price: $83

Notre Dame has put itself back into the same spot it was a year ago. Top 10 of the national rankings and firmly in line for a playoff berth. The question is can they avoid a misstep as they did in 2014. Pitt, took the Irish to triple OT last season and will look to finish the job at home this year after dropping from the national rankings last week. 

 #8 TCU @ #14 Oklahoma State- Fri - 3:30p ET

Time for Big12 contenders to show themselves

Winner of this game will keep playoff hopes alive

Lowest Price: $70

The Big12 has back loaded its schedule to the point where all of its national contenders are chomping at the bit to play games of consequence. That begins this week as TCU visits OK State with an their effective playoff future in the balance. The winner gains the poll strength to move up while the loser will fall back to the pack with little hope of getting into the top 4.

Packers @ Panthers - Sun - 1p ET

Winner claims poll position to number one seed in NFC

Packers face second undefeated team on road in two weeks

Lowest Price: $299

The NFC game of the year thus far will go a long way in determining who will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs in January. The Packers visit Carolina after dropping a game last Sunday to the undefeated Broncos. The road continues to be daunting as they face Cam Newton and the Panthers who are looking to solidify their place in the NFL elite this season.

Raiders @ Steelers - Sun - 1p ET

Key matchup for AFC Playoff positioning

Are the Raiders for real?

Lowest Price: $80

Gametime welcomes a new addition, Ottawa! Tickets are now available for the Ottawa Senators and Ottawa Redblacks. Spirits are high for the Ottawa Redblacks as they blaze through their season, thanks to QB Henry Burris who has helped keep their pace. Burris has been named one of CFL’s top weekly performers, likely a result of his efforts in helping the Redblacks clinch their season playoff (power ranked 3rd by the CFL). As for the Senators, Mark Stone has been unstoppable offensively and Erik Karlsson remains a reliable force in the defensive lineup, positively aligning the Senators towards a return trip to the postseason. Tickets for Thursday’s game are as low at $18 (US).

Lexington, Kentucky debuts on the Gametime Mobile App

Gametime is now offering tickets to events in Lexington with Kentucky, Louisville and Marshall football as the debut teams. More will soon follow including the exciting college hoops season in the area. 

The Bluegrass State football scene is a bit mixed so far this year with the Marshall Thundering Herd currently the states best program in 2015. Kentucky Wildcats sit 4-3 while Louisville Football is 3-4 overall. Gametime ticket prices to catch one of these games are as low as $65 for Kentucky’s game tomorrow vs Tennessee. No matter what sport you’re a fan of, Gametime offers affordable, on demand tickets to get you seats where you need be in a pinch. Walk up to the stadium, scan your mobile ticket from the Gametime app and you’re in!

Gametime has now launched in Edmonton, offering you on demand tickets for the Edmonton Oilers and the Edmonton Eskimos. The Oilers started off this year on a clean slate with a new coaching staff, Todd McLellan, and a new handful of players, powerhouse McDavid and Letestu to name a few. All of which will hopefully bring promise to their 2016 season. As for the Eskimos, they’re on the verge of making the playoffs and talk throughout Canada suggests they may be the best team this year (tied for the best record at 11-4). Getting tickets to see of these games is simple and fast.