By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Super Bowl 55 numbers on ticket prices, stadium per capita spending and TV ratings were a mixed bag as markets across the country coped with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Kraft Analytics Group (KAGR), a sports data research company.
Naturally, there was a smaller inventory of Super Bowl tickets with 22,000 fans allowed in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa — plus 30,000 cardboard cutouts of fans. The Super Bowl re-sell ticket price turned out to be about a median price of $8.300, just below last year’s $8,500.
On per capita spending inside the Super Bowl stadium, fans spent an average of $124 on food and beverages, and $212 when including merchandise. But many fans also received gift cards estimated at about $255 to replace regular Super Bowl pregame events.
But viewership was down. Nielsen said viewership was at 96.4 viewers — 91.63 million on CBS and streaming audience of 5.7 million. “While viewership
across all platforms was the lowest since 2007, and a 9% decline from last year, the streaming audience did show a dramatic 68% increase year-over-year,” KAGR wrote in this week’s report.
Super Bowl betting was a very big deal amid reports that more than 23 million Americans planned to bet $4.3 billion on Super Bowl 55. New Jersey produced $117.4 million, up 116 percent from last year.
And Nevada generated $136.1 million in wagers at 184 sportsbooks around the state.
Las Vegas fared well regarding markets expected to rebound from the novel coronavirus pandemic. Here’s KAGR’s take:
Here’s the KAGR market analysis:
What about Major League Baseball’s spring training access for fans in Arizona and Florida? It varies from team to team and host city to host city.