StubHub, the world’s largest event marketplace, today released its fourth annual Year in Live Experiences report. This year’s report highlights the best-selling events of the year, as well as the most sought-after artists, matchups, teams, festivals and shows in a year when more people than ever crossed borders to experience a live event.

“The power of live experiences transcends languages and borders,” said Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, president of StubHub. “This year, StubHub saw fans from 144 countries cross borders to travel to live events, indicating that shared experiences pull people together, even during challenging times. With nearly 200,000 StubHub customers crossing borders to attend over 30,000 events in 2018, it’s clear that people continue to love being with fellow fans, seeing their favorite artists or teams live.”

The Countries Most Likely to Cross Borders for A Live Event on StubHub

1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Japan
4. Canada
5. Mexico
6. Spain
7. Germany
8. Ireland
9. South Korea
10. France

Top 10 Best-Selling Sports Events Around the World* in 2018

1. Anthony Joshua v. Joseph Parker
2. Anthony Joshua v. Alexander Povetkin
3. NFL London: Philadelphia Eagles v. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. NFL London: Seattle Seahawks v. Oakland Raiders
5. NBA London: Philadelphia 76ers v. Boston Celtics
6. NFL London: Tennessee Titans v. Los Angeles Chargers
7. Golden State Warriors at Toronto Raptors on January 13
8. New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays on March 29
9. NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 2: Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors
10. NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 1: Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors

*International markets outside of the U.S.

Top 10 Best-Selling Artists Around the World* in 2018

1. Ed Sheeran
2. BTS
3. Elton John
4. Foo Fighters
5. Paul McCartney
6. U2
7. Drake and Migos
8. Taylor Swift
9. The Rolling Stones
10. Eagles

*International markets outside of the U.S.

Top 10 Best-Selling Sports Events in the U.S. in 2018
Within the U.S., bucket-list sporting events like the Super Bowl and Stanley Cup Finals continue to dominate StubHub’s list of top events, as fans watched underdog teams, like the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, become champions this year. StubHub saw 34 percent growth in Super Bowl Sales this year as the Eagles faced off against the New England Patriots. Following their championship run, the Eagles then took their fans overseas to the NFL London game. Philadelphia fans represented 41 percent of total ticket sales to this year’s trip across the pond and helped make it the highest-selling NFL London game ever.

1. Super Bowl LII: New England Patriots v. Philadelphia Eagles
2. 2018 College Football Championship: Alabama Crimson Tide v. Georgia Bulldogs
3. World Series Game 4: Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Dodgers
4. World Series Game 3: Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Dodgers
5. World Series Game 5: Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Dodgers
6. 2018 Rose Bowl: Georgia Bulldogs v. Oklahoma Sooners
7. NFC Championship Game: Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles
8. Stanley Cup Finals Game 5: Washington Capitals at Vegas Golden Knights
9. World Series Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers at Boston Red Sox
10. AFC Championship Game: Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots

Top 10 Best-Selling Acts on StubHub in the U.S. in 2018
Fans from 83 countries flocked to see Ed Sheeran this year, giving him the most international audience of any artist this year. Elton John also kicked off his global farewell tour this year, attracting fans from more than 69 countries.  Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars were the next most international acts, both drawing fans from over 60 countries.

1. Bruce Springsteen
2. Taylor Swift
3. Elton John
4. Ed Sheeran
5. Justin Timberlake
6. Drake and Migos
7. Eagles
8. Bruno Mars
9. P!NK
10. Billy Joel

Other Top Experiences that Brought Fans Together Around the World in 2018:
Theatre: The Hamilton Revolution Goes Global

• Hamilton’s global presence continues to make it StubHub’s No. 1 theatre event, this time with a global touch –  fans from more than 95 countries attended more than 1,600 shows across 25 global cities.

Music: K-Pop Crosses Borders

• K-Pop took center stage in the U.S. with BTS, the boy band that generated the highest demand per show making for the must-see act of the summer, drawing fans from 80 different countries.

NHL: Golden Knights Keep Vegas Strong; Tavares Moves Home

• Vegas Golden Knights came in as StubHub’s No. 1 in-demand NHL team for the second year in a row outselling the second most in-demand team and 2018 champions, Washington Capitals, by nearly 80 percent.
• Jonathan Tavares’ move home to Toronto drove demand, positioning the Maple Leafs as the eighth best-selling team with sales up 40 percent from last year.

NBA: LeBron’s Star Power Fuels the Lakers

• Superstar LeBron James demonstrated the power of a sports icon when he made the move to the Los Angeles Lakers, propelling the team to the No. 3 position with 16 percent growth in sales.
• Golden State Warriors continue to hold down the No. 1 spot as the season rolls on.

NFL: Underdogs Rise

• The Eagles were another team that held on for a long-awaited win. When they won their first franchise Super Bowl this year, they earned the No. 1 position as best-selling NFL team, outselling No. 2, their Super Bowl opponents the New England Patriots, by 5 percent.

MLB: World Series Makes Bucket List for Fans, Globally

• Fans from every state and 30 countries witnessed the Boston Red Sox reaffirm their league dominance when they won the 2018 World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Yankees were the No.1 team during the regular season but Dodgers making it all the way to the World Series bumped the team to No.1, when including postseason data.

Golf: Tiger’s Comeback Contributes to Best-Selling Masters

• Tiger Woods made his much-anticipated return to the Masters this year, making it the best-selling Masters Tournament ever and outselling last year’s record-setting tournament by 7 percent.

ABOUT STUBHUB
At StubHub, our mission is simple: bring the joy of live to fans globally. We connect fans with their favorite teams, shows and artists and introduce them to the ones they’ll love next. As the largest ticket marketplace in the world, we enable fans to buy and sell tickets to tens of thousands of events, whenever they want, through our desktop and mobile experiences, including our StubHub app for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android. Offering a superior fan experience at its core, StubHub reinvented the ticket resale market in 2000 and continues to lead through innovation. Our industry firsts include the introduction of the first ticketing application, the first interactive seat mapping tool, and the first live entertainment rewards program. Our business partners include more than 130 properties in MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS and NCAA, plus AEG, AXS and Paciolan, and now the Tessitura Network. StubHub provides the total end-to-end event going experience throughout the world. StubHub is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY). For more information on StubHub, visit StubHub.comor follow @StubHub on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or YouTube.com/StubHub.

SOURCE StubHub