The NFL ticket market is diverse. Giants and Jets fans making the trip from Manhattan to East Rutherford have different ticket-buying trends than Panthers fans following Cam Newton on the road in Atlanta. Tailgaters at Bills games purchase their tickets long before tech-savvy 49ers fans in Silicon Valley.
On Friday, SeatGeek unveiled its first NFL post-season report on ticket-buying trends during the 2015-16 season. Here are the highlights:
Highest Resale Price: Broncos
The Broncos won the Super Bowl in February, but their fans sensed something special long before then. Broncos tickets went for an average resale price of $314. This edged the two Super Bowl XLIX finalists, the Patriots ($300 average resale) and the Seahawks ($299). Broncos tickets started at an increased price by 25 percent in 2015, thanks to home games against the Packers and Patriots. The will-he/won't-he retirement saga of Peyton Manning contributed to the resale price rise.
Last-minute buying is the choice of many, especially in San Francisco
In the heart of the tech world, 49ers fans were the most common consumers in the secondary ticket market on the day of games. Falcons and Dolphins fans also bought their tickets late in what SeatGeek found to be a trend in warmer cities. Fans of the tradition-rich Packers, Bengals and Bills were shown to buy tickets further in advance than any other teams.
Raiders fans love their iPhones
Sticking in the Bay, Raiders fans made the highest percentage of purchases on iPhones and the lowest percentage of purchases on desktops. Chiefs fans were the leaders in Android use, Packers fans on iPads and Patriots fans on desktops.
49ers fans have the most mobile-forward fans
While Raiders fans used their phone more often for purchases, 49ers fans were the most common users of barcodes on mobile devices. The Seahawks and the Dolphins followed. Note: Only select NFL teams allow mobile barcode use at the gate.
Chiefs tickets had the best value
Sparked by an 11-game win streak, including a wild-card playoff win, Chiefs fans got the most bang for their buck based on price vs. wins. The Vikings and Bengals also gave their fans good value with playoff appearances. On the other end of the spectrum were Cowboys, Giants and Titans fans who overpaid for poor seasons.
Panthers' bandwagon was strong on the road
The NFL's greatest regular-season show caused fans to dig into their pockets around the country. When Newton led his troops against the Giants in Week 15, MetLife Stadium ticket prices rose 59 percent. For the Panthers' Week 16 game in Atlanta, tickets went up to 128 percent. Falcons fans got their money's worth, as Atlanta gave Carolina its only regular season loss of the season.
-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.
