Gametime releases updated app for real-time, last-minute sports-ticket buying

Gametime has released a new version of its mobile app that lets you purchase last-minute tickets for sports events — without having to print anything.

Above: Gametime app

Image Credit: Gametime

San Francisco-based Gametime is an Android and iOS app that makes it easier to purchase last-minute tickets using your mobile device. The new version has a real-time “pull-to-refresh” feature that constantly updates the best seats available at a sports event. That means fans won’t have to keep reloading a screen to see if someone has bought a ticket in the meantime.

“We shifted to a video game style technology that can be immediately updated,” Brad Griffith, chief executive of Gametime, told VentureBeat in an interview. “It’s like playing a video game with another player. You have to keep it synchronized or it’s not a good experience.”

The ticket inventory is never more than a second out of date, he said.

Griffith got the idea for the company a while ago when he and his brother were trying to buy last-minute tickets for a San Francisco Giants game. They were at a bar and realized they had to print the tickets. They talked to the bartender and got permission to go to the office and print the tickets. They accidentally printed in color, and it took extra time, even though all they really needed was a bar code or QR code. They arrived late to the ballpark.

Fans can buy tickets at 60 participating venues in 22 cities. They can get tickets for MLB, NFL, NCAA, NBA, NHL, and MLS games.

Gametime launched its app in mid-2013. Tickets sold on the platform are up 600 percent since January, and August was up 50 percent over July.

When you try to buy a ticket at a participating venue, Gametime will make some calculations and surface the 50 best tickets that people are selling for it. It takes into account the price of the ticket and the quality of the view from the seat. By automating this process, the fan no longer has to wade through thousands of tickets for sale and can get an image of the view from the seat before purchasing. Gametime takes a small piece of the overall transaction.

“It’s such a better user experience,” Griffith said. “Our percentage averages out to a very small number. The market grows if you take a smaller percentage.”

Gametime will use the funds to continue the development of the company’s user experience and hire new people. To date, the company has raised $5 million, including a $4 million round led by Accel Partners announced in September.

Besides Accel, investors include Jeff Mallett, a principal partner of the San Francisco Giants; Vivek Ranadive, CEO and founder of Tibco and owner of the Sacramento Kings; Sam Shank, cofounder and CEO of HotelTonight; Jared Simon, cofounder and COO of HotelTonight; Aaron Levie, founder of Box; and Colin Evans, founding executive at StubHub.

The company has 21 employees. If there’s a problem, Gametime refunds fans 115 percent of their money. But Griffith said his company only deals with trusted ticket suppliers.

“We set our sights on a big goal and are proud to showcase the same technology that ensures your Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto player-vs-player action isn’t a half second out of date,” said Griffith. “Gametime built the best last-minute access experience anywhere so that people can get off the couch, go do something fun, and spend more time with their family and friends.”