Back in 2009, the Orlando Magic was losing significant revenue to the secondary ticket market. Without a clear strategy for pricing tickets based on game-day demand, resellers were making large profits.
At the time, the team recognised the need for a new approach. A chance encounter with SAS at a conference would later open up new possibilities. With limited time to act, the Magic reconsidered its strategy and, together with SAS, built a data-driven foundation for growth.
During an exclusive media panel at the SAS Innovate 2025 conference in Orlando, Florida, executives from both organisations discussed how an initial use case developed into a long-term partnership, and what data strategies have been most effective in enhancing the sports fan experience.
Momentum shifter
Before teaming up with SAS, the Magic used fixed pricing for single-game tickets. According to Jay Riola, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at the Orlando Magic, a game against a lower-ranked team would be priced the same as one featuring a playoff-calibre opponent.
“What the secondary ticket market showed us was that the consumers were willing to pay significantly more for a weekend game or one featuring a superstar or a playoff-calibre team,” he shared.
One of the first initiatives with SAS involved consolidating data from various sources into a single database environment, allowing the team to gain a clearer picture of its fan base.
“We were able to produce dashboards, data visualisations, and reports for different departments, so they no longer had to rely on manual processes. We started stacking value cases on top of one another, which helped expand the partnership and demonstrate the value we were getting from the tools,” Riola said.
With the help of SAS analytics, the Magic improved its ability to forecast ticket demand as soon as the season schedule was released.
“When we go on sale with tickets, we’re trying to match market demand, and we adjust daily based on indicators like page views and conversion rates. That approach has helped us to more than double our single-game ticket revenue over time, as we’ve adopted more sophisticated revenue management practices,” he said.
After one year of using SAS, ticket revenue rose by 50%. Since the 2013-14 season, the team has seen a 161% increase in single-game ticket revenue.
Buzzer beater
According to Ali Anderson, Senior Director of Business Strategy at the Orlando Magic, the partnership with SAS has grown from ticketing analytics into broader areas such as customer retention and improving the in-arena experience.
“Over the last few years, we’ve significantly increased the data we capture in the digital space. We’ve placed particular focus on our mobile app and the insights we can gain from it. Even a couple of minutes in the app generates hundreds — if not thousands — of data points. We’re tracking how long fans spend on a page, what content they view, and how they navigate,” she said.
These insights help the Magic better understand how fans use the app and which features resonate most, including with international audiences. The result is a more personalised experience across channels.
Over the past decade, the Magic have developed fan profiles containing approximately 300 data points each, enabling targeted segmentation.
“On top of that, we have nearly limitless data to personalise content — from game scores and player stats to fan-earned badges. We also factor in contact history, app interactions, website activity, and email engagement,” said Lauren Lambis, Director of Digital Marketing at the Orlando Magic.
One application of this data is a “timehop” email campaign, Lambis explained.
“It sends an email to anyone who attended a game 365 days ago. We recap that game, include a photo of the night and the team matchup, and then, of course, there’s a ticket offer at the end. It’s a great touchpoint and a chance to re-engage fans emotionally and bring our brand back to top of mind,” she said.
The Magic also launched “Magic Money,” a program designed to simplify perks for season ticket holders. According to Riola, fans who can’t attend a game no longer need to resell or give away their tickets. Instead, they can return them to the team in exchange for Magic Money, which can be used to upgrade seat locations, buy additional tickets, or purchase merchandise.
Court vision
While game day brings excitement, the experience of going to the Kia Centre, the Magic’s home arena, can feel overwhelming for some fans.
“You have to plan your travel, figure out parking, and if you’re not a season ticket holder, understand how to enter the arena. Then there’s deciding what concessions you want. A lot of what we’re trying to do is guide fans through that process while collecting data we can use to personalise the experience — and, ideally, encourage them to come to a future game or buy a package,” Riola said.
Fans who add their tickets to Apple Wallet can unlock additional features during home games.
“You’ll see an arena map and available parking around Kia Centre. We also make it fun — there’s a playlist of songs the players warm up to. Ultimately, we’re collecting data, but doing it in a way that feels natural and aligned with the fan experience,” Riola added.
Running it back
Reflecting on the decade-long collaboration, Jenn Chase, Chief Marketing Officer at SAS, observed that sports organisations tend to be open to experimentation, both on and off the court.
“Sports teams are willing to take risks. You want to test and explore new areas. That makes for a strong partnership, because data, analytics, and AI all involve experimentation and asking ‘what if?'” she noted.
Chase also underscored the role of trust when using customer data.
“Every organisation should focus on building moments of trust with customers. People share their information with you, and using it responsibly is so critical. That value exchange — knowing you’ll treat their data with care — really matters,” she said.
Looking ahead, the Magic are onboarding the SAS Viya data and AI platform to analyse in-app engagement and gain more insight into individual fan interests. The team plans to use it to support ticket sales forecasting and refine dynamic pricing. They are also examining whether certain patterns of engagement are linked to purchasing behaviour, which could inform future decisions around fan outreach and offers.
“We’ve spent a long time looking at ticketing analytics. What we’re really excited to do is look at how we can analyse our big data,” Anderson remarked.
