Social Media Activity and Ticket Pricing: The Impact of Likes on the Major League Baseball Secondary Ticket Market

This study examined how the number of likes on X (formerly Twitter) affects ticket-pricing strategies in the Major League Baseball (MLB) secondary market. As organizations increasingly leverage social media to engage fans, understanding the relationship between online engagements and pricing decisions is essential for strategic revenue management. Because the secondary market operates as a fully demand-driven market that generates higher profits than the primary market, ticket-pricing decision makers can gain insights into pricing trends by analyzing fan engagement on social media. Using a data set of 167,646 observations, the findings highlight the significance of social media fan engagement in shaping resellers’ pricing strategies. Specifically, ticket prices increase as the number of likes on daily posts from official MLB team accounts rises. This research provides valuable insights into the social media factors influencing secondary market ticket-pricing strategies in MLB.