StubHub Releases 2023 Year in Live Experiences Report: Women Make History Across Music and Sports

Hot tickets created pop culture phenomena – from Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” to Lionel Messi’s Miami Move; U.S. Travel to International Events Up 80%

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — StubHub, the marketplace with the world’s largest selection of live events, today released its 2023 Year in Live Experiences report, highlighting the stories and trends that made this year distinct, including the year’s best-selling live music and sports experiences across the globe. The annual report showcases a year of firsts and milestones, from Taylor Swift breaking sales records to incredible performances across women’s sports and immense international travel.

Highlights Include:

• Women performers drive spike: Female artists drive 73% of overall sales for the top 10 global touring artists and Taylor Swift boasts the biggest tour in StubHub history.
• Women’s sports make strides: The Liberty and Aces competed in the highest-selling WNBA Finals in StubHub history, while the Women’s Final Four commanded a higher price than the men’s tournament, and sales for women’s soccer doubled over 2022.
• Vegas redefined the live event experience: The #1 spot for visiting fans, Vegas embodied immersive entertainment – from Adele’s multi-month residency to an F1 spectacle on the strip to sports teams with highly devoted fans. The Sphere, the most immersive venue to date, drew in visitors from 91 countries, since its opening.
• Messi’s impact lifts the league: Sales for the MLS season were up 160%, sales from buyers outside the U.S. went up 220% and Inter Miami became the most in-demand team in the league after his arrival – he also spiked demand on the road, with IMCF away games making the top six games of the MLS season.
• Taylor sells for the NFL: Taylor’s first appearance in Kansas City spurred demand for Chiefs home games. The day after her first cameo at the Chiefs-Bears game, the Chiefs had more single-day ticket sales on StubHub than any other day since the season started.
• What’s ahead: U.S. buyers will travel abroad for the “Eras Tour,” invading Europe in the summer of 2024, women’s sports leagues expand and college football will get a new look; Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Olivia Rodrigo among top-selling artists for 2024.

“This year’s continued demand for tickets sold on our platform underscores the value fans place on live events, particularly when they travel,” said Cris Miller, chief business officer, StubHub. “This year’s top global touring artists were women and it’s no surprise that Taylor Swift led sales with the biggest tour in StubHub history. Looking back on sports, we saw dominant players and personalities drive interest and demand for teams and leagues – from the Kelce brothers at the Super Bowl to Coach Prime in Colorado and even Taylor Swift.” 

Top Traveling Countries

1. U.S.
2. Canada
3. United Kingdom
4. Germany
5. France
6. Mexico
7. Switzerland
8. Spain
9. Netherlands
10. Australia

*Countries are ranked by greatest number of tickets purchased by buyers in that country for 2023 events outside of the country the buyers reside in, for sales on StubHub North America and/or viagogo international marketplaces, as of November 28, 2023. Sales for events in the U.K. occur on viagogo only – StubHub North America does not list tickets for U.K. events.

International Cities that Drive the Most U.S. Buyers*

1. Toronto
2. Madrid
3. Montreal
4. Barcelona
5. London
6. Vancouver
7. Amsterdam
8. Rome
9. Frankfurt
10. Tokyo

*Ranking based on cumulative global tickets sold for 2023 events in each market for sales on StubHub North America and/or viagogo international marketplaces, as of November 28, 2023. Sales for events in London (and the U.K., as a whole) occur on viagogo only – StubHub North America does not list tickets for U.K. events.

Top In-Demand Global Touring Artists*

1. Taylor Swift
2. Beyoncé
3. Morgan Wallen
4. Adele
5. Coldplay
6. Bruce Springsteen
7. U2
8. Drake
9. P!NK
10. Ed Sheeran

*Ranking based on cumulative, global ticket sales on StubHub North America and viagogo international marketplaces for events in 2023 as of November 28, 2023.

2023 Global Touring Insights

• Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” is the biggest in StubHub history: She is the most searched artist of the year on StubHub with 127% more views than Coldplay, the second most-searched act.
• Back-to-back appearances: Coldplay (down from #2), Morgan Wallen (up from #6) and Adele (up from #5) all made the top in-demand artist list on StubHub in 2022.
• Lone country artist (in top 10): Morgan Wallen outsold the next highest-selling country artist, Luke Combs (at #11) by 36%.

Top In-Demand Global Sporting Experiences*

1. World Series (Rangers-Diamondbacks)
2. Super Bowl LVII (Eagles-Chiefs)**
3. Las Vegas GP F1
4. NBA Finals (Nuggets-Heat)
5. College Football Playoff National Championship (Georgia-TCU)**
6. Miami GP F1
7. Canada GP F1
8. U.S. GP F1 (Austin)
9. U.S. Open Tennis Finals and Semifinals
10. Stanley Cup Finals (Panthers-Golden Knights)

*Ranking based on cumulative, global ticket sales on StubHub North America and viagogo international marketplaces for events in 2023, as of November 28, 2023.

**denotes single-day event

2023 Global Sporting Insights

• Football championships draw: Super Bowl LVII – with buyers from 15 different countries – outsold last year’s championship by 50% and more than doubled the sales of the College Football Championship. The CFP Playoff game between Georgia and Ohio State (Peach Bowl) sold more tickets on StubHub than any other single-day sporting event.
• F1 interest continues to rise: Four F1 races made the list this year, compared to two last year. The three U.S. races drew StubHub and viagogo buyers from across 88 different countries.
• Tennis draws international interest: The U.S. Open Men’s Final drove the 4th highest sales from international buyers.

Looking Ahead – Top Global Experiences in 2024

1. Taylor Swift
2. Coldplay
3. Olivia Rodrigo
4. Bruce Springsteen
5. Zach Bryan
6. Morgan Wallen
7. Madonna
8. Matt Rife
9. Billy Joel
10. Aerosmith

*Ranking based on cumulative, global ticket sales on StubHub North America and viagogo international marketplaces for events in 2024 as of November 28, 2023.

Deeper data and insights from the Year in Live Experiences can be found in the full report at stubhub.com/2023inreview, which includes additional lists such as:

• Top Traveling Countries
• International Cities that Drive the Most U.S. Buyers
• Top U.S. Destinations for Out-of-Towners
• Top International Events + U.S. Buyer Trends
• Top U.S. Events For International Buyers
• Top Breakthrough Artists
• Top Global Comedians
• Top Sports Teams and Games by League (MLB, NCAAf, NFL, NHL, NBA, MLS, NWSL, WNBA)
• Top Events in 11 Major Event Markets (LA, NYC, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Nashville, Kansas City, Miami, Boston)

About StubHub

StubHub is the world’s leading marketplace to buy and sell tickets to any live event, anywhere. Through StubHub in North America and viagogo, our international platform, we service customers in 195 countries in 33 languages and 49 available currencies with more than 300 million tickets available to events around the world annually — from sports to music, comedy to dance, festivals to theater. StubHub offers the safest, most convenient way to buy or sell tickets to the world’s widest selection of live events for the most memorable live experiences, with every order backed by our FanProtect guarantee and globally customer service support.

SOURCE StubHub