By Joe Choti, CTO, Tickets.com & MLB Advanced Media (with help from Dave Brooks)
At Tickets.com, the focus for us right now is to make sure that ProVenue provides scalability, stabilization, reliability and speed. Those are big ones. We spent 2010 making sure we were stable in a myriad of different ways. Coming into our 2011 on-sale season, we have sufficiently rearchitectured the ticketing applications and the infrastructure so it stood on its own. Now we’re working on improving speed.
With ProVenue we’re able to plug into any partner’s API, whether that be StubHub, Qque, Digonex or Givex. It works for everybody. What we’re talking about is a state-of-the-art system that has the full capability to work with whatever anyone’s needs are.
If you take two ticketing clients who use the same platform in the same industry, they still won’t run their business exactly the same. The ticketing solution has to be a product that has a core offering that can manifest itself in different ways and different factions.
Transactional time is more important than ever. One of the things I emphasize to all my engineers is that they can sit there and tell me it only takes three seconds for the screen to ping, but so what. Moving it from a three-second ping to a one-second ping will make a huge difference.
As technologists our jobs are never done. It’s a book and it’s time to move on to the next chapter after you’re done with the current chapter.
Wireless devices give us new and exciting ways to sell tickets to events. I may have spare inventory to an event and I may know an individual is in proximity to that event and I may want to push them a campaign and remind them that Bon Jovi is in concert. Since their phone shows me they are local, I can send a simple one-click link to buy tickets and then they use their wireless device to gain entry.
It’s all about Push Notifications, GPS and CRM. These capabilities allow people to opt in and provide information about what types of fans they are. It’s important not to push too much and allow it to become wallpaper and noise and get ignored.
Technology is not big brother. People think that, but it’s not true. We’re taking advantage of technology that lets us know who the true fans are and make things easier for them. And it’s not done with the ‘Like’ button.
Source: October 2011 Venues Today
Showing posts with label stubhub. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stubhub. Show all posts
Friday, October 21, 2011
Friday, August 13, 2010
Tickets.com, Others Follow Google, Amazon in Opening Up
Opening up an internal resource to outside developers, a la Amazon Web Services and Force.com, isn't just for the big guys anymore.
Smaller organizations with systems that may be aimed at narrow markets are also deciding to open up their platforms to third-party developers. They may do so as a way to create a new revenue stream or to make their own offerings more attractive.
Tickets.com is one such company that has opened its platform to third parties. The company, a subsidiary of MLB.com, provides the back-end ticketing engine for some Major League Baseball teams.
About four years ago, Tickets.com set out to revamp its platform, which at the time was composed of incompatible legacy systems. It decided to build an entirely new platform with a service-oriented architecture and a Web-based front end, said John Rizzi, senior vice president of product management and strategy at Tickets.com.
The decision to open that platform up to third parties came about by chance. "Somewhat by accident, we came to this spot," he said.
As it began building the new platform, Tickets.com hired technology experts to help with the process. "It took us bringing in people from outside the ticketing industry who were much more technology-centric to understand that we had a lot more in this platform than just something more modern and cheaper," Rizzi said.
Tickets.com isn't making its APIs available to just anyone, though. "It's not like we're going to say, 'here's the API, go develop and have fun.' Our clients aren't asking for that," he said. "They are asking for more flexibility and options, and we want to give them that."
Some third-party companies have already started offering services to Tickets.com customers using the new platform, and others are in the works.
Ballena is offering a product, built on Tickets.com's system, that lets online shoppers see in 3D the view from the seat they are considering buying. StubHub, the official secondary ticketing provider of the MLB, is also using the new platform. Its offering is integrated with Tickets.com, which ensures the tickets offered on StubHub are valid.
Tickets.com is also working with Qcue and Digonex, which offer dynamic pricing tools. Qcue, for example, feeds data, including sales inventory provided by Tickets.com and other data about the team's record, the weather and the game's pitching matchup, into its algorithms to recommend that baseball teams adjust ticket prices.
Developers may pay for access to Tickets.com in different ways, depending on how they operate. "My intent is, yes, to profit from this," Rizzi said. Qcue pays a subscription to receive the data feed. Stubhub shares revenue.
Rizzi's advice to other companies thinking of opening up their offerings in a similar way is to carefully think about the revenue model. "That's huge, because in the end, we could wind up opening our system and having a great system and making all the third parties really wealthy, and not participating in that. We don't want to do that," Rizzi said. "We want them to prosper... but I think having a plan in terms of how to monetize it before you implement is pretty important."
He also suggested that it's important to think about how to support the third-party developers. "Supporting an ecosystem of third parties is a lot different from supporting a client who is the end user of the system," he noted. He recommends that other companies make sure to consider those kinds of structural and business components and factor them into their revenue models.
At a recent cloud computing conference, Rizzi said one central theme was making the cloud about more than cost savings.
That's what Tickets.com and some of the pioneers in offering infrastructure or platforms as a service have done. Amazon, Google and Salesforce.com are among companies that have opened up their internal resources so third parties can develop on them.
For complete article: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=3235305
Source: Nancy Gohring, PC Advisor
Smaller organizations with systems that may be aimed at narrow markets are also deciding to open up their platforms to third-party developers. They may do so as a way to create a new revenue stream or to make their own offerings more attractive.
Tickets.com is one such company that has opened its platform to third parties. The company, a subsidiary of MLB.com, provides the back-end ticketing engine for some Major League Baseball teams.
About four years ago, Tickets.com set out to revamp its platform, which at the time was composed of incompatible legacy systems. It decided to build an entirely new platform with a service-oriented architecture and a Web-based front end, said John Rizzi, senior vice president of product management and strategy at Tickets.com.
The decision to open that platform up to third parties came about by chance. "Somewhat by accident, we came to this spot," he said.
As it began building the new platform, Tickets.com hired technology experts to help with the process. "It took us bringing in people from outside the ticketing industry who were much more technology-centric to understand that we had a lot more in this platform than just something more modern and cheaper," Rizzi said.
Tickets.com isn't making its APIs available to just anyone, though. "It's not like we're going to say, 'here's the API, go develop and have fun.' Our clients aren't asking for that," he said. "They are asking for more flexibility and options, and we want to give them that."
Some third-party companies have already started offering services to Tickets.com customers using the new platform, and others are in the works.
Ballena is offering a product, built on Tickets.com's system, that lets online shoppers see in 3D the view from the seat they are considering buying. StubHub, the official secondary ticketing provider of the MLB, is also using the new platform. Its offering is integrated with Tickets.com, which ensures the tickets offered on StubHub are valid.
Tickets.com is also working with Qcue and Digonex, which offer dynamic pricing tools. Qcue, for example, feeds data, including sales inventory provided by Tickets.com and other data about the team's record, the weather and the game's pitching matchup, into its algorithms to recommend that baseball teams adjust ticket prices.
Developers may pay for access to Tickets.com in different ways, depending on how they operate. "My intent is, yes, to profit from this," Rizzi said. Qcue pays a subscription to receive the data feed. Stubhub shares revenue.
Rizzi's advice to other companies thinking of opening up their offerings in a similar way is to carefully think about the revenue model. "That's huge, because in the end, we could wind up opening our system and having a great system and making all the third parties really wealthy, and not participating in that. We don't want to do that," Rizzi said. "We want them to prosper... but I think having a plan in terms of how to monetize it before you implement is pretty important."
He also suggested that it's important to think about how to support the third-party developers. "Supporting an ecosystem of third parties is a lot different from supporting a client who is the end user of the system," he noted. He recommends that other companies make sure to consider those kinds of structural and business components and factor them into their revenue models.
At a recent cloud computing conference, Rizzi said one central theme was making the cloud about more than cost savings.
That's what Tickets.com and some of the pioneers in offering infrastructure or platforms as a service have done. Amazon, Google and Salesforce.com are among companies that have opened up their internal resources so third parties can develop on them.
For complete article: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=3235305
Source: Nancy Gohring, PC Advisor
Thursday, June 3, 2010
StubHub Launches Free Ticket Application for iPhone and iPod Touch Devices
TicketNews
StubHub, the world's largest ticket marketplace, today announced that a StubHub ticket purchasing application is now available on the Apple App Store. The StubHub iPhone and iPod Touch application provides fans with the freedom to access and search the world's largest inventory of secondary market sporting, concert and theater tickets -- and make purchases -- anyplace, anytime. The application provides a mobile conduit into StubHub's dynamic marketplace where more than six million tickets are available, enabling fans to shop with confidence in a safe, convenient and guaranteed environment.
The StubHub application incorporates many of the same popular features available on the StubHub website, including access to familiar search and purchasing functionality, seat maps, detailed ticket listings, quantity and pricing filters and more. The application's navigation and user interface is tailored specifically for Apple's unique touch screen format, providing fans with a convenient, simple and intuitive way to purchase tickets while on the go, in many cases right up to the time of the event.
In addition, fans using the StubHub application will enjoy the same FanProtect Guarantee and award-winning customer service that is offered on the StubHub website, attributes that have made StubHub the "go to" source for live entertainment event tickets for millions of fans across North America.
"StubHub is all about providing choice, and access for fans," said Ray Elias, Director of Marketing for StubHub. "By extending our service and providing a rich experience in the mobile arena we are taking another step in that direction. We will continue to innovate in this space."
The StubHub application is ideal for last minute planners and travelers, with features that showcase upcoming live events based on the user's location or by their cities of choice. The application also provides social interactivity functions, enabling fans to interact directly with friends and family on ticket purchasing decisions by sending event and ticket details to a variety of email programs, Facebook and Twitter. In addition, the application integrates seamlessly with iTunes, enabling fans to sync their favorite artists to the application in order to monitor and easily identify when their top events of interest are coming to town. Finally, the application allows users to tag their favorite artists or teams for quick navigation and access.
Fans can download the StubHub iPhone and iPod Touch application for free on the Apple App Store. The secure application protects users' personal information and enables fans to purchase tickets using their existing StubHub account, via PayPal, or by saving their credit card information within the application.
"The launch of the StubHub app builds on eBay's momentum in mobile commerce and expands our ever-growing portfolio of mobile applications," said Steve Yankovich, vice president of mobile for eBay Inc. "eBay Inc. offers more choice in ecommerce formats for sellers and buyers than any other online shopping destination. With the new StubHub app, we give consumers instant access to a wide selection of sought-after tickets right from the mobile phone."
The introduction of the StubHub app for the iPhone expands eBay Inc.'s mobile offerings. Earlier this year, eBay released an eBay app for iPad and two new apps for the iPhone: eBay Selling and eBay Classifieds. As a global leader in m-commerce, eBay Inc. recognizes that buyers and sellers are increasingly turning to mobile devices for their shopping needs. eBay Inc.'s mobile applications are available to millions of iPhone, BlackBerry and Android users in more than 190 countries and eight languages.
StubHub, the world's largest ticket marketplace, today announced that a StubHub ticket purchasing application is now available on the Apple App Store. The StubHub iPhone and iPod Touch application provides fans with the freedom to access and search the world's largest inventory of secondary market sporting, concert and theater tickets -- and make purchases -- anyplace, anytime. The application provides a mobile conduit into StubHub's dynamic marketplace where more than six million tickets are available, enabling fans to shop with confidence in a safe, convenient and guaranteed environment.
The StubHub application incorporates many of the same popular features available on the StubHub website, including access to familiar search and purchasing functionality, seat maps, detailed ticket listings, quantity and pricing filters and more. The application's navigation and user interface is tailored specifically for Apple's unique touch screen format, providing fans with a convenient, simple and intuitive way to purchase tickets while on the go, in many cases right up to the time of the event.
In addition, fans using the StubHub application will enjoy the same FanProtect Guarantee and award-winning customer service that is offered on the StubHub website, attributes that have made StubHub the "go to" source for live entertainment event tickets for millions of fans across North America.
"StubHub is all about providing choice, and access for fans," said Ray Elias, Director of Marketing for StubHub. "By extending our service and providing a rich experience in the mobile arena we are taking another step in that direction. We will continue to innovate in this space."
The StubHub application is ideal for last minute planners and travelers, with features that showcase upcoming live events based on the user's location or by their cities of choice. The application also provides social interactivity functions, enabling fans to interact directly with friends and family on ticket purchasing decisions by sending event and ticket details to a variety of email programs, Facebook and Twitter. In addition, the application integrates seamlessly with iTunes, enabling fans to sync their favorite artists to the application in order to monitor and easily identify when their top events of interest are coming to town. Finally, the application allows users to tag their favorite artists or teams for quick navigation and access.
Fans can download the StubHub iPhone and iPod Touch application for free on the Apple App Store. The secure application protects users' personal information and enables fans to purchase tickets using their existing StubHub account, via PayPal, or by saving their credit card information within the application.
"The launch of the StubHub app builds on eBay's momentum in mobile commerce and expands our ever-growing portfolio of mobile applications," said Steve Yankovich, vice president of mobile for eBay Inc. "eBay Inc. offers more choice in ecommerce formats for sellers and buyers than any other online shopping destination. With the new StubHub app, we give consumers instant access to a wide selection of sought-after tickets right from the mobile phone."
The introduction of the StubHub app for the iPhone expands eBay Inc.'s mobile offerings. Earlier this year, eBay released an eBay app for iPad and two new apps for the iPhone: eBay Selling and eBay Classifieds. As a global leader in m-commerce, eBay Inc. recognizes that buyers and sellers are increasingly turning to mobile devices for their shopping needs. eBay Inc.'s mobile applications are available to millions of iPhone, BlackBerry and Android users in more than 190 countries and eight languages.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tickets.com Partner Spotlight: Qcue Names Vice President of Business Development
Qcue, the dynamic pricing engine for live entertainment events, today announced the appointment of Eric Freeland as vice president of business development, where he will lead the company’s client acquisition and partnership efforts.
Freeland joins Qcue from StubHub, where he was responsible for all aspects of business development supporting the company’s multi-year sponsorships with professional sports teams and NCAA Division I schools.
Sports teams, concert promoters and venues use Qcue's software to set the right price at the right time based on shifting market conditions. By enabling fans to purchase fair-priced, face-value tickets directly from a team’s box office, Qcue’s dynamic pricing solutions ensure a more consistent, high-value experience coupled with greater price transparency and choice-of-seat flexibility.
An expert in client prospecting and value creation, contract negotiation and project management, Freeland supported StubHub’s sponsorship negotiation with 24 Major League Baseball clubs leading to an exponential year-over-year sales increase in the company’s biggest market. He also launched StubHub’s first non-sports integration with Tickets.com for a major venue, spanning all live entertainment events at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York.
“Eric did an amazing job at StubHub as they transformed the ticketing industry and changed the perception of how teams can serve fans and increase revenues,” said Barry Kahn, CEO of Qcue. “Dynamic pricing represents the next step in bringing technology to live event ticketing benefitting teams and fans alike. We are excited to bring Eric on board as someone who has done this before and has strong relationships with many of our partners, clients and prospects."
“Qcue has quickly established itself as a leading innovator in the ticketing industry, helping teams and venues maximize revenue opportunities while being more flexible and transparent in how they do business,” said Freeland. “I’m excited to join the team and continue to capitalize on this incredible market opportunity.”
About Qcue
Qcue is reinventing the primary ticket marketplace with the world’s only dynamic pricing engine for live entertainment events. Sports teams, concert promoters and venues use Qcue’s patent-pending technology to set the right price at the right time and provide the best value for fans, from the date of on-sale to the date of the event. Customers and partners include the San Francisco Giants, the Dallas Stars, Major League Baseball Advanced Media and Tickets.com. Founded in 2007, Qcue is based in Austin, Texas. For more information on Qcue, visit www.qcue.com.
Freeland joins Qcue from StubHub, where he was responsible for all aspects of business development supporting the company’s multi-year sponsorships with professional sports teams and NCAA Division I schools.
Sports teams, concert promoters and venues use Qcue's software to set the right price at the right time based on shifting market conditions. By enabling fans to purchase fair-priced, face-value tickets directly from a team’s box office, Qcue’s dynamic pricing solutions ensure a more consistent, high-value experience coupled with greater price transparency and choice-of-seat flexibility.
An expert in client prospecting and value creation, contract negotiation and project management, Freeland supported StubHub’s sponsorship negotiation with 24 Major League Baseball clubs leading to an exponential year-over-year sales increase in the company’s biggest market. He also launched StubHub’s first non-sports integration with Tickets.com for a major venue, spanning all live entertainment events at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York.
“Eric did an amazing job at StubHub as they transformed the ticketing industry and changed the perception of how teams can serve fans and increase revenues,” said Barry Kahn, CEO of Qcue. “Dynamic pricing represents the next step in bringing technology to live event ticketing benefitting teams and fans alike. We are excited to bring Eric on board as someone who has done this before and has strong relationships with many of our partners, clients and prospects."
“Qcue has quickly established itself as a leading innovator in the ticketing industry, helping teams and venues maximize revenue opportunities while being more flexible and transparent in how they do business,” said Freeland. “I’m excited to join the team and continue to capitalize on this incredible market opportunity.”
About Qcue
Qcue is reinventing the primary ticket marketplace with the world’s only dynamic pricing engine for live entertainment events. Sports teams, concert promoters and venues use Qcue’s patent-pending technology to set the right price at the right time and provide the best value for fans, from the date of on-sale to the date of the event. Customers and partners include the San Francisco Giants, the Dallas Stars, Major League Baseball Advanced Media and Tickets.com. Founded in 2007, Qcue is based in Austin, Texas. For more information on Qcue, visit www.qcue.com.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Baseball coverage bigger, better on MLB.com in '09
New additions and upgrades for following baseball onlineBy Mark Newman / MLB.com
This momentous decade began with a January 2000 unanimous vote by Major League Baseball owners to centralize baseball's Internet operations and create MLB Advanced Media, which would manage MLB.com, all 30 club sites and a digital baseball road map. The Yankees beat the Mets in a Subway Series that year, marking the last time that a World Series champion has repeated.
Now it is 2009 and the final season of this first decade in the new millennium is about to get under way. It remains to be seen whether the Phillies can end that long drought and finally give baseball another repeat champion, but one thing we do know is that fans embraced the technology MLBAM went on to introduce, and today you can experience baseball essentially anywhere in the world and in almost every way.
MLB.TV, Video Alerts, online ticketing, All-Star Game voting, MLB.com At Bat 2009 for the iPhone, MLB.com Shop orders, MLB.com Gameday, Fantasy games, MLBlogs and boards, detailed Draft scouting reports, live studio programming, 24/7/365 coverage from a network of 30 traveling beat writers -- those are just some of the advancements that came along this decade. As we welcome the new chase for a World Series title to close this decade of baseball tech, here is a guide to those favorite fan staples today:
MLB.TV Premium
Courtney Heitkamp, 21, of Sioux Falls, S.D., recently posted to Twitter: "Oh my gosh I'm watching the Twins...I love you MLB.TV!"
In case anything actually needs to be said other than that, then just let MLB.TV Premium speak for itself. If you are among the millions who have experienced live baseball over your computer with MLB.TV in the past, then brace yourself because it is more captivating than ever. Developers threw the kitchen sink in for the 2009 model, building a new Flash media player that has received rave reviews throughout public beta testing this spring. Many fans who do not have actual HD televisions at home are seeing what that crystal-clarity looks like on a computer screen. MLB.TV Premium is $109.99 for a year's subscription, a $10 markdown from last year despite numerous enhancements. You'll enjoy the proprietary speed detection; playback controls with DVR and jump-to-inning functionality; home-or-away and TV-or-radio swapping; picture-in-picture; archived games; and much more. Like Heitkamp, you will love MLB.TV.
Video Alerts
Video Alerts were added to the MLB.com Mobile team text menu last season, and that was a smashing success. Fans enjoyed receiving video highlights over their enabled handheld devices, and that will be an important element again this summer. You can be working on a project around the house or walking through an airport on a business trip, and suddenly one of these highlights pops up and your mood changes and you just want to show it to the person closest to you.
Just sign up by texting "GET Club name" to 65246. For example, if you are a Cincinnati fan, you send the text "get reds" to 65246. Once you sign up for the text alerts, MLB.com will send eligible fans a second text message offering the Video Alerts service. The price hasn't changed, so this is the throw-in of all-time. As always, you can manage your Team Alert selections in the "m-dash" (Mobile Dashboard).
Fantasy Games
Remember when someone almost won a million bucks last summer playing MLB.com Beat the Streak? That was close. Maybe you will win that amount by playing the easy-to-manage game this season. Or take your chance at winning $10,000 by entering MLB.com 2009 Fantasy Baseball. Go to MLB.com Fantasy and look through all the opportunities, and dominate your leagues by taking advantage of the wealth of advice from experts. Fantasy has only grown in scope over this decade, to the point that our Player Rankings now are even being used to predict final standings based on aggregate fantasy rankings per team. Unlike 2000, a massive segment of today's baseball fandom get into the game because of fantasy.
"We've learned a lot this decade about the kinds of games fans are looking for, and most importantly, how to get new fans involved and enjoying fantasy baseball," said Gregg Klayman, VP of content development. "Back in 2000, you had a hardcore base of fans playing games online, whereas today you have millions of experts and novices competing in all different levels of games."
Video Search
Want to see B.J. Upton highlights? Looking for examples of why Tim Lincecum won the last NL Cy Young Award? Just go to http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp and search for their names or any others. Search for anything around Major League Baseball, and there is a strong likelihood you will be satisfied.
As with Video Alerts, this is a demonstration of the penetration that online video has reached in today's world. It's one of the first things many fans look for, something they can actually see, immediate gratification at watching their favorite players in action. Video Search was added last season, and fans enjoyed the larger (512x288) viewing size and faster bit rate. MLB.com editors tag the clips and make them available for you, and then you decide exactly what is needed in that split-second.
MLB.com At Bat 2009
This was released in the Apple App Store last week and immediately shot up to No. 3 overall and No. 1 in Sports among all apps there. The big new feature for this year is the add-on of MLB.com Gameday Audio for the regular season. Fans will be able to listen to live audio broadcasts of every Major League Baseball game from the Sunday opener through the World Series clincher. It also features a live scoreboard with statistical data from current, previous and future games; MLB.com Gameday's detailed data featuring five interactive screens and exclusive pitch type, location and speed data; and high-quality video highlights quickly after they happen on the field. Just go to the App Store in iTunes and click on Sports, and you will find MLB.com At Bat 2009 there for $9.99.
MLB.com Gameday
Every year this decade it has grown more addictive by incorporating more technology. The same will be true for this popular real-time app as a season is ushered in with the Opening Night game between the Braves and Phillies on Sunday, followed by 13 Opening Day games on Monday. This season Gameday adds exclusive real-time scouting data to the mix, with pitcher and batter tendencies, hot and cold zones and head-to-head stats. These rich new data features complement the existing pitch-by-pitch data, including the Pitch-f/x technology that provides pitch speed, trajectory and location data for every game in every Major League park, along with Game Previews, in-game highlights and other game-specific video from right inside the app.
Registration
Before you do anything at MLB.com this season, create a free account so you are registered here. It's free and easy, and it is the gateway to many things that happen during the course of the year -- including ticketing, Shop offers, contest prizes, All-Star voting, blogging and posting messages, subscription signups and more.
News and opinion
Nowhere is there more comprehensive baseball coverage than at MLB.com. It blankets the game with 30 traveling reporters who are at the source, constantly filing news and features and Inbox replies to your e-mails as well as their regular MLBlogs and more. Fans can consume the information through headlines on MLB.com and the club sites, as well as RSS feeds, on the MLB.com Mobile WAP site and as text alerts.
MLBAM also operates Minor League Baseball's site, and the team of writers provide even further meaningful insight to Major League fans about how their organizations are doing and which prospects to anticipate in the big leagues. Perspectives from such veteran journalists as Hal Bodley, Mike Bauman and Tom Singer help shape the views of many fans and provoke arguments and agreement alike.
Online ticketing
It is hard to say exactly what one facet of the Internet has been most important to baseball fans over this decade, but this is as likely a choice as any. Online ticketing gradually rose in popularity to the point that -- by the middle of the decade -- it was how most MLB game tickets were purchased, and then it became a de facto standard in fan life, with many fans simply printing their tickets out at home and bringing them straight to the gate. Right now, online ticketing further enables you to take advantage of the new MLB.com Fan Value Corner, showcasing the many ways that all 30 clubs are helping spectators get more for their money amid a staggering recession. From the My Team Account Manager to make season ticket payments to StubHub.com for secondary ticketing, this is a key reason many people keep coming back to their favorite MLB sites.
MLB.com Shop
Anyone who might have been jittery about online transactions at the start of the decade is likely well over it by now. The bigger question is more likely when to say enough is enough and just put the shopping cart through checkout. Just as you probably went to the MLB.com Shop to do your last holiday shopping, you probably are browsing through there these days, and maybe you noticed that the new Spring Virtual Catalog has just arrived, offering convenient selection of the baseball fashion of the times. Order one of those Stance II Fashion Jerseys by Majestic Athletic and get a free cap.
Scoreboard, Standings, Stats, Schedule
Those four words are at the top of the homepage, just as they have been for most of this decade. It's hard for baseball fans to imagine life without them.
Blogs and Boards
Everyone seems to be blogging and social networking now. There is a huge increase in player MLBlogs, with a prospect blog for every organization, and blogs by such big leaguers as Torii Hunter, Reed Johnson, Glen Perkins, Andre Ethier and Collin Balester. You probably noticed that MSNBC's Keith Olbermann has an MLBlog where he can talk about his favorite sport instead of politics. All 30 MLB.com team reporters now have MLBlogs, and even the Rangers Captain just started one.
Last year in this space, we mentioned a fan named phillies6phan26, who boldly predicted on the MLB.com Fan Forum message boards that the Phillies would win it all, Evan Longoria would be AL Rookie of the Year, Dodgers, Cubs and Angels would all win divisions, among some other prudent choices. It only makes sense to tip the cap here given what happened.
Every now and then, you see some expert fan opinion like that around the boards and at MLBlogs. And every now and then, you see some stuff that just makes you laugh. But whatever the case, this decade has become a giant snowball of user generated content, with you in control of your own spaces.
Whether uploading ballpark photos of yourself to put on products, customizing a new authentic jersey, bidding on game-used items, watching a live MLB.TV Premium stream, checking scores, commenting on a favorite player's blog or following the action with your new smartphone, you are fully immersed in a way of life that you might have found hard to believe at the dawn of this decade. Now that this decade is about to finish up with another long and fabulous season, it is time to take stock of how far we have all come together, take a deep breath, and start it all over again.
Mark Newman is enterprise editor of MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
This momentous decade began with a January 2000 unanimous vote by Major League Baseball owners to centralize baseball's Internet operations and create MLB Advanced Media, which would manage MLB.com, all 30 club sites and a digital baseball road map. The Yankees beat the Mets in a Subway Series that year, marking the last time that a World Series champion has repeated.
Now it is 2009 and the final season of this first decade in the new millennium is about to get under way. It remains to be seen whether the Phillies can end that long drought and finally give baseball another repeat champion, but one thing we do know is that fans embraced the technology MLBAM went on to introduce, and today you can experience baseball essentially anywhere in the world and in almost every way.
MLB.TV, Video Alerts, online ticketing, All-Star Game voting, MLB.com At Bat 2009 for the iPhone, MLB.com Shop orders, MLB.com Gameday, Fantasy games, MLBlogs and boards, detailed Draft scouting reports, live studio programming, 24/7/365 coverage from a network of 30 traveling beat writers -- those are just some of the advancements that came along this decade. As we welcome the new chase for a World Series title to close this decade of baseball tech, here is a guide to those favorite fan staples today:
MLB.TV Premium
Courtney Heitkamp, 21, of Sioux Falls, S.D., recently posted to Twitter: "Oh my gosh I'm watching the Twins...I love you MLB.TV!"
In case anything actually needs to be said other than that, then just let MLB.TV Premium speak for itself. If you are among the millions who have experienced live baseball over your computer with MLB.TV in the past, then brace yourself because it is more captivating than ever. Developers threw the kitchen sink in for the 2009 model, building a new Flash media player that has received rave reviews throughout public beta testing this spring. Many fans who do not have actual HD televisions at home are seeing what that crystal-clarity looks like on a computer screen. MLB.TV Premium is $109.99 for a year's subscription, a $10 markdown from last year despite numerous enhancements. You'll enjoy the proprietary speed detection; playback controls with DVR and jump-to-inning functionality; home-or-away and TV-or-radio swapping; picture-in-picture; archived games; and much more. Like Heitkamp, you will love MLB.TV.
Video Alerts
Video Alerts were added to the MLB.com Mobile team text menu last season, and that was a smashing success. Fans enjoyed receiving video highlights over their enabled handheld devices, and that will be an important element again this summer. You can be working on a project around the house or walking through an airport on a business trip, and suddenly one of these highlights pops up and your mood changes and you just want to show it to the person closest to you.
Just sign up by texting "GET Club name" to 65246. For example, if you are a Cincinnati fan, you send the text "get reds" to 65246. Once you sign up for the text alerts, MLB.com will send eligible fans a second text message offering the Video Alerts service. The price hasn't changed, so this is the throw-in of all-time. As always, you can manage your Team Alert selections in the "m-dash" (Mobile Dashboard).
Fantasy Games
Remember when someone almost won a million bucks last summer playing MLB.com Beat the Streak? That was close. Maybe you will win that amount by playing the easy-to-manage game this season. Or take your chance at winning $10,000 by entering MLB.com 2009 Fantasy Baseball. Go to MLB.com Fantasy and look through all the opportunities, and dominate your leagues by taking advantage of the wealth of advice from experts. Fantasy has only grown in scope over this decade, to the point that our Player Rankings now are even being used to predict final standings based on aggregate fantasy rankings per team. Unlike 2000, a massive segment of today's baseball fandom get into the game because of fantasy.
"We've learned a lot this decade about the kinds of games fans are looking for, and most importantly, how to get new fans involved and enjoying fantasy baseball," said Gregg Klayman, VP of content development. "Back in 2000, you had a hardcore base of fans playing games online, whereas today you have millions of experts and novices competing in all different levels of games."
Video Search
Want to see B.J. Upton highlights? Looking for examples of why Tim Lincecum won the last NL Cy Young Award? Just go to http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp and search for their names or any others. Search for anything around Major League Baseball, and there is a strong likelihood you will be satisfied.
As with Video Alerts, this is a demonstration of the penetration that online video has reached in today's world. It's one of the first things many fans look for, something they can actually see, immediate gratification at watching their favorite players in action. Video Search was added last season, and fans enjoyed the larger (512x288) viewing size and faster bit rate. MLB.com editors tag the clips and make them available for you, and then you decide exactly what is needed in that split-second.
MLB.com At Bat 2009
This was released in the Apple App Store last week and immediately shot up to No. 3 overall and No. 1 in Sports among all apps there. The big new feature for this year is the add-on of MLB.com Gameday Audio for the regular season. Fans will be able to listen to live audio broadcasts of every Major League Baseball game from the Sunday opener through the World Series clincher. It also features a live scoreboard with statistical data from current, previous and future games; MLB.com Gameday's detailed data featuring five interactive screens and exclusive pitch type, location and speed data; and high-quality video highlights quickly after they happen on the field. Just go to the App Store in iTunes and click on Sports, and you will find MLB.com At Bat 2009 there for $9.99.
MLB.com Gameday
Every year this decade it has grown more addictive by incorporating more technology. The same will be true for this popular real-time app as a season is ushered in with the Opening Night game between the Braves and Phillies on Sunday, followed by 13 Opening Day games on Monday. This season Gameday adds exclusive real-time scouting data to the mix, with pitcher and batter tendencies, hot and cold zones and head-to-head stats. These rich new data features complement the existing pitch-by-pitch data, including the Pitch-f/x technology that provides pitch speed, trajectory and location data for every game in every Major League park, along with Game Previews, in-game highlights and other game-specific video from right inside the app.
Registration
Before you do anything at MLB.com this season, create a free account so you are registered here. It's free and easy, and it is the gateway to many things that happen during the course of the year -- including ticketing, Shop offers, contest prizes, All-Star voting, blogging and posting messages, subscription signups and more.
News and opinion
Nowhere is there more comprehensive baseball coverage than at MLB.com. It blankets the game with 30 traveling reporters who are at the source, constantly filing news and features and Inbox replies to your e-mails as well as their regular MLBlogs and more. Fans can consume the information through headlines on MLB.com and the club sites, as well as RSS feeds, on the MLB.com Mobile WAP site and as text alerts.
MLBAM also operates Minor League Baseball's site, and the team of writers provide even further meaningful insight to Major League fans about how their organizations are doing and which prospects to anticipate in the big leagues. Perspectives from such veteran journalists as Hal Bodley, Mike Bauman and Tom Singer help shape the views of many fans and provoke arguments and agreement alike.
Online ticketing
It is hard to say exactly what one facet of the Internet has been most important to baseball fans over this decade, but this is as likely a choice as any. Online ticketing gradually rose in popularity to the point that -- by the middle of the decade -- it was how most MLB game tickets were purchased, and then it became a de facto standard in fan life, with many fans simply printing their tickets out at home and bringing them straight to the gate. Right now, online ticketing further enables you to take advantage of the new MLB.com Fan Value Corner, showcasing the many ways that all 30 clubs are helping spectators get more for their money amid a staggering recession. From the My Team Account Manager to make season ticket payments to StubHub.com for secondary ticketing, this is a key reason many people keep coming back to their favorite MLB sites.
MLB.com Shop
Anyone who might have been jittery about online transactions at the start of the decade is likely well over it by now. The bigger question is more likely when to say enough is enough and just put the shopping cart through checkout. Just as you probably went to the MLB.com Shop to do your last holiday shopping, you probably are browsing through there these days, and maybe you noticed that the new Spring Virtual Catalog has just arrived, offering convenient selection of the baseball fashion of the times. Order one of those Stance II Fashion Jerseys by Majestic Athletic and get a free cap.
Scoreboard, Standings, Stats, Schedule
Those four words are at the top of the homepage, just as they have been for most of this decade. It's hard for baseball fans to imagine life without them.
Blogs and Boards
Everyone seems to be blogging and social networking now. There is a huge increase in player MLBlogs, with a prospect blog for every organization, and blogs by such big leaguers as Torii Hunter, Reed Johnson, Glen Perkins, Andre Ethier and Collin Balester. You probably noticed that MSNBC's Keith Olbermann has an MLBlog where he can talk about his favorite sport instead of politics. All 30 MLB.com team reporters now have MLBlogs, and even the Rangers Captain just started one.
Last year in this space, we mentioned a fan named phillies6phan26, who boldly predicted on the MLB.com Fan Forum message boards that the Phillies would win it all, Evan Longoria would be AL Rookie of the Year, Dodgers, Cubs and Angels would all win divisions, among some other prudent choices. It only makes sense to tip the cap here given what happened.
Every now and then, you see some expert fan opinion like that around the boards and at MLBlogs. And every now and then, you see some stuff that just makes you laugh. But whatever the case, this decade has become a giant snowball of user generated content, with you in control of your own spaces.
Whether uploading ballpark photos of yourself to put on products, customizing a new authentic jersey, bidding on game-used items, watching a live MLB.TV Premium stream, checking scores, commenting on a favorite player's blog or following the action with your new smartphone, you are fully immersed in a way of life that you might have found hard to believe at the dawn of this decade. Now that this decade is about to finish up with another long and fabulous season, it is time to take stock of how far we have all come together, take a deep breath, and start it all over again.
Mark Newman is enterprise editor of MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Tickets.com, StubHub and Ballena Technologies score a Triple Play for the San Francisco Giants
COSTA MESA, CA – February 2, 2009 – Tickets.com, a leading worldwide provider of integrated ticketing solutions, StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketplace and Ballena Technologies, the premier producer of high-resolution 3-D maps of sports and entertainment venues, announce the formation of a strategic partnership to deliver enhanced seat map functionality. For the first time, venues will be able to combine real-time ticket inventory from both the primary and secondary ticket markets into one seat map view. As part of the online ticket purchase, patrons will easily be able to determine if seats are available in their desired section. Additional functionality will allow fans to buy tickets directly from the panoramic Ballena map view.
The San Francisco Giants will be the first to implement Tickets.com’s Ballena-enabled ProVenue ticketing system. “The Giants organization prides itself on being a leader in the adoption of technology to improve the fan experience. The combination of primary and secondary ticket inventory on a Ballena map continues that tradition,” said Russ Stanley, managing vice president of ticket services and client relations for the Giants. “Fans love to see what the view will be from different sections in the ballpark; when they find seats they like, we want them to be able to buy.”
Tickets.com chose to partner with Ballena because of their market-leading position in the sports and entertainment industries. Brett Michalak, chief information officer, Tickets.com, said, “The Ballena integration is another example of our strategy to leverage best-in-class partners to help us release innovative products into the ticketing marketplace.”
For StubHub, this partnership acts as yet another avenue to give fans as many choices as possible. “Giving Giants fans the ability to view both primary and secondary ticket availability from the same map will enhance the fan experience and provide an additional customer acquisition channel for us”, says Jeff Spaulding, director of business development, StubHub. The Ballena integration is one of several collaborative efforts between StubHub and Tickets.com. The two companies have joined forces through the MLB secondary ticketing platform integration and, in September, extended the integration to the HSBC Arena in Buffalo and the Buffalo Sabres NHL franchise.
Richard Sherratt, Ballena’s chief executive officer, added, “We are excited to be part of such a major announcement in the ticketing industry and to showcase our integration with Tickets.com and StubHub.”
Tickets.com, StubHub and Ballena Technologies will demonstrate a proof of concept of their seat map functionality at INTIX’s upcoming 30th Annual Conference and Exhibition in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 3-6, 2009.
Learn more about Tickets.com's innovative ticketing technologies >
The San Francisco Giants will be the first to implement Tickets.com’s Ballena-enabled ProVenue ticketing system. “The Giants organization prides itself on being a leader in the adoption of technology to improve the fan experience. The combination of primary and secondary ticket inventory on a Ballena map continues that tradition,” said Russ Stanley, managing vice president of ticket services and client relations for the Giants. “Fans love to see what the view will be from different sections in the ballpark; when they find seats they like, we want them to be able to buy.”
Tickets.com chose to partner with Ballena because of their market-leading position in the sports and entertainment industries. Brett Michalak, chief information officer, Tickets.com, said, “The Ballena integration is another example of our strategy to leverage best-in-class partners to help us release innovative products into the ticketing marketplace.”
For StubHub, this partnership acts as yet another avenue to give fans as many choices as possible. “Giving Giants fans the ability to view both primary and secondary ticket availability from the same map will enhance the fan experience and provide an additional customer acquisition channel for us”, says Jeff Spaulding, director of business development, StubHub. The Ballena integration is one of several collaborative efforts between StubHub and Tickets.com. The two companies have joined forces through the MLB secondary ticketing platform integration and, in September, extended the integration to the HSBC Arena in Buffalo and the Buffalo Sabres NHL franchise.
Richard Sherratt, Ballena’s chief executive officer, added, “We are excited to be part of such a major announcement in the ticketing industry and to showcase our integration with Tickets.com and StubHub.”
Tickets.com, StubHub and Ballena Technologies will demonstrate a proof of concept of their seat map functionality at INTIX’s upcoming 30th Annual Conference and Exhibition in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 3-6, 2009.
Learn more about Tickets.com's innovative ticketing technologies >
Monday, January 5, 2009
Tickets.com Signs Contract with the NHL Buffalo Sabres and HSBC Arena
Tickets.com Signs Long-Term Contract with the NHL Buffalo Sabres and HSBC Arena Including A Secondary Market Integration with StubHub via MyTickets™
COSTA MESA, CA – January 5, 2008 – Tickets.com, a leading worldwide provider of integrated ticketing solutions, has signed a long-term contract extension with the Buffalo Sabres and their home venue, the HSBC Arena. The renewal of the ticketing services agreement includes a partnership with StubHub for secondary ticket market integration. This new added value feature allows season ticket holders the benefit of reselling, transferring or donating tickets, as well as managing their ticket inventory online using the MyTickets™ interface from Tickets.com.
The contract extension between the Buffalo Sabres, HSBC Arena and Tickets.com makes StubHub, “the Official Fan to Fan Ticket Marketplace of the Buffalo Sabres.” For Tickets.com, it marks the first time that one of their non-Major League Baseball clients has partnered with StubHub, the largest secondary seller in the ticketing industry.
“We are excited to be extending and diversifying our longstanding relationship with the Buffalo Sabres and HSBC Arena,” said Brian Roberts, vice president of sales, Tickets.com. “We’re also eager to bring the benefits of the secondary marketplace to Sabres fans and patrons of HSBC.”
Integration of secondary market benefits for Sabres fans is facilitated by MyTickets™, an online ticket management system for season ticket holders. Tickets can be transferred, donated and resold in a password-protected, secure online environment. All transactions are completed via an instant e-mail delivery using Tickets@Home functionality. Season ticket holders know they have an easy-to-use means of recovering the cost of unused tickets – and fans have instant access to a wide range of available seats.
“The commitment that Tickets.com has to best-in-class customer service and ongoing technological innovation has been a major benefit for the Sabres and HSBC Arena,” said Dan DiPofi, chief operating officer, Buffalo Sabres. “We are thrilled to now offer secondary market integration to our season ticket holders and fans, and are confident that it will greatly enhance their experiences with our team and venue. We look forward to growing our relationship with Tickets.com.”
The 19,000-seat HSBC Arena is controlled by the Sabres and has been a Tickets.com client since 1996, The state-of-the-art arena, which is owned by Erie County, is also home to the National Lacrosse League’s Buffalo Bandits and is Western New York’s premiere facility for a wide variety of concerts, ice shows, sporting events and family entertainment. Buffalo Sabres tickets are available online through the team’s Web site at www.sabres.com and HSBC Arena events can be purchased online through www.hsbcarena.com. Tickets can also be purchased at TOPS Markets locations throughout Western New York.
COSTA MESA, CA – January 5, 2008 – Tickets.com, a leading worldwide provider of integrated ticketing solutions, has signed a long-term contract extension with the Buffalo Sabres and their home venue, the HSBC Arena. The renewal of the ticketing services agreement includes a partnership with StubHub for secondary ticket market integration. This new added value feature allows season ticket holders the benefit of reselling, transferring or donating tickets, as well as managing their ticket inventory online using the MyTickets™ interface from Tickets.com.
The contract extension between the Buffalo Sabres, HSBC Arena and Tickets.com makes StubHub, “the Official Fan to Fan Ticket Marketplace of the Buffalo Sabres.” For Tickets.com, it marks the first time that one of their non-Major League Baseball clients has partnered with StubHub, the largest secondary seller in the ticketing industry.
“We are excited to be extending and diversifying our longstanding relationship with the Buffalo Sabres and HSBC Arena,” said Brian Roberts, vice president of sales, Tickets.com. “We’re also eager to bring the benefits of the secondary marketplace to Sabres fans and patrons of HSBC.”
Integration of secondary market benefits for Sabres fans is facilitated by MyTickets™, an online ticket management system for season ticket holders. Tickets can be transferred, donated and resold in a password-protected, secure online environment. All transactions are completed via an instant e-mail delivery using Tickets@Home functionality. Season ticket holders know they have an easy-to-use means of recovering the cost of unused tickets – and fans have instant access to a wide range of available seats.
“The commitment that Tickets.com has to best-in-class customer service and ongoing technological innovation has been a major benefit for the Sabres and HSBC Arena,” said Dan DiPofi, chief operating officer, Buffalo Sabres. “We are thrilled to now offer secondary market integration to our season ticket holders and fans, and are confident that it will greatly enhance their experiences with our team and venue. We look forward to growing our relationship with Tickets.com.”
The 19,000-seat HSBC Arena is controlled by the Sabres and has been a Tickets.com client since 1996, The state-of-the-art arena, which is owned by Erie County, is also home to the National Lacrosse League’s Buffalo Bandits and is Western New York’s premiere facility for a wide variety of concerts, ice shows, sporting events and family entertainment. Buffalo Sabres tickets are available online through the team’s Web site at www.sabres.com and HSBC Arena events can be purchased online through www.hsbcarena.com. Tickets can also be purchased at TOPS Markets locations throughout Western New York.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Industry News: StubHub Scores a Hat Trick: Partners With Buffalo Sabres, HSBC Arena and Tickets.com to Give Fans Total Access
Deal Represents New Extension of Integrated eTicketing Beyond MLB SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketplace, is proud to announce a new partnership with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League and its home venue, HSBC Arena. StubHub will also broaden its relationship with Tickets.com, a leading primary ticket provider, to enable an integrated ticketing solution for ticket resale for one of the NHL's premier teams and venues. This partnership marks the first time outside of the MLB Advanced Media relationship struck in 2007 that StubHub has partnered with a primary ticketing provider to offer this type of integrated service.
Coinciding with the start of the NHL’s regular season, StubHub will be recognized as the “Official Fan to Fan Ticket Marketplace” of the Buffalo Sabres. The agreement will further enhance the visibility and adoption of StubHub’s industry leading ticket marketplace among one of the most rabid fan bases in all of hockey. The Sabres join the Phoenix Coyotes as an NHL team partner making StubHub proudly aligned with more than 60 teams across professional sports leagues and the NCAA ranks.
Sabres season ticket holders will now have the ability to list tickets directly through their season ticket holder account on the team’s website and to easily have those tickets appear on the StubHub marketplace. The ticket information (including the barcode) is passed directly to StubHub, and when purchased, the tickets are delivered instantly via our Instant eDelivery fulfillment method. This functionality dramatically increases the potential sales for season ticket holder listings. Buyers simply print tickets off at home and head straight to the arena, making last minute purchases even that much more convenient.
“Along with the great service and primary ticketing solution that Tickets.com provides, an integrated platform between them and the number one secondary marketplace StubHub was another key benefit we were seeking to provide our fans. This partnership offers an unparalleled user experience and return on investment for our season ticket holders,” said Daniel J. DiPofi, Chief Operating Officer of Hockey Western New York, LLC.
Supporting the Sabres team partnership is a complementary relationship with HSBC Arena, the first comprehensive venue deal of its kind for StubHub. StubHub will also be recognized as the Official Fan to Fan Ticket Marketplace of HSBC arena, Western New York's premier sports and entertainment facility. Electronic integration for resale will become available for all HSBC events in the coming months. Located on Buffalo's waterfront, the state-of-the-art venue hosts the best concerts, ice shows, sporting events and family shows entertaining audiences of all ages. Since opening on September 21, 1996, more than 11 million people have attended the wide variety of events held at HSBC Arena.
“Expanding our relationship with StubHub to the Sabres, and potentially beyond, gives Tickets.com a world class offering for other teams who would like to integrate their primary ticketing solution with the leading online ticket marketplace,” said Steve DeMots, SVP Business Development, Tickets.com. “Tickets.com and StubHub working together provides a unique, comprehensive solution that is unmatched in the industry.”
StubHub will receive valuable marketing assets, including permanent signage at HSBC Arena, prominent online presence on the Sabres website, and email marketing to Sabres season ticket holders.
“It’s a landmark for StubHub to align with an entire arena, in addition to one of hockey’s most successful franchises,” said Danielle Maged, Head of Partnerships for StubHub. “Leveraging a more extensive relationship with Tickets.com enables both companies to provide the strongest packaged primary and secondary solution in the market. With this MLB-proven integration, and our new relationship with the Sabres and HSBC Arena, we are able to best serve Buffalo-area fans with the utmost in convenience and choice for tickets.”
About StubHub
StubHub is the world's largest ticket marketplace, enabling fans to buy and sell tickets to tens of thousands of sports, concert, theater and other live entertainment events. StubHub reinvented the ticket resale market in 2000 and continues to lead it through innovation. The company's unique online marketplace, dedicated solely to tickets, provides all fans the choice to buy or sell their tickets in a safe, convenient, and highly reliable environment. All transactions are processed and delivered by StubHub and backed by the company’s FanProtect Guarantee. Company partners include the New York Yankees, Chicago Bears and the University of Southern California along with nearly 60 teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA complemented with music artists like Madonna and companies such as ESPN and American Express.
StubHub is an eBay company (NASDAQ:EBAY). For more information on StubHub, visit www.stubhub.com.
About Tickets.com
Tickets.com is a leading business-to-business ticketing solutions provider for live events. Our corporate offices are located in Costa Mesa, California. Tickets.com is a full service provider of integrated ticketing solutions designed to enable entertainment and sports organizations to sell tickets to consumers under the clients’ brand. These integrated solutions include the Internet, retail outlets, kiosks, call centers, and interactive voice response systems (IVRS).
The company enables its clients to capture, access and own consumer data through ticket sales, providing them with a 360 degree view of the buying habits and preferences of their fans and patrons to enhance their marketing efforts.
The company also sells tickets directly to consumers at www.tickets.com.
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