The Braves provided investors more information Thursday about their 2017 financial performance.
One week after owner Liberty Media disclosed the Braves’ revenue was up 50 percent through the first nine months of the year, compared with the same period last year, the team offered new details on some of the sources of the additional revenue.
At a Liberty Media investors conference Thursday in New York, the Braves revealed that revenue was up 76 percent in ticket sales, 31 percent in concession sales per fan, 45 percent in retail sales and 89 percent in corporate sponsorship sales.
The overall revenue increase “just shows you the power of what a new venue can do in this business,” Derek Schiller, the Braves’ president of business, said at the conference, referring to SunTrust Park.
Liberty Media disclosed last week that, through Sept. 30, the Braves had brought in revenue of $366 million this year – up $122 million from the first nine months of last year ($244 million) and up $104 million from all of last year ($262 million).
This season’s 76-percent increase in ticket-sales revenue far exceeded the 24-percent increase in number of tickets sold. That reflects higher prices in the new stadium, particularly for premium seats attached to clubs or other amenities.
The Braves said season tickets accounted for 54 percent of tickets sold this year. Based on total ticket sales of about 2.5 million tickets, that means about 1.35 million were sold in season-ticket packages – the equivalent of about 17,000 full season tickets.
Mike Plant, the Braves’ president of development, said at the investors conference that the team is “performing cash-flow positive on everything that is open” at The Battery Atlanta, the mixed-use complex adjacent to SunTrust Park.
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