Features

Clear builds stadium portfolio with latest MLB club deals

Biometric identity company Clear has added to its portfolio of US venue partners by agreeing deals with three Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs.

New stadia added to the Clear network for the 2019 MLB season are Globe Life Park, home to the Texas Rangers; Target Field, home to the Minnesota Twins; and Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home to the Baltimore Orioles.

The deals, which come on the back of a recent agreement with Madison Square Garden, mean Clear’s identity platform is now used by 18 MLB, National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), and Major League Soccer (MLS) teams.

Building off last season’s successful pilot of biometric ticketing with the New York Mets, MLB, and Tickets.com, fans attending yesterday’s (Thursday’s) opening day at Citi Field (pictured) in New York were able to enter the ballpark with the tap of a finger, instead of presenting a paper or mobile ticket.

Fans at Comerica Park in Detroit and Globe Life Park in Arlington will be able to do the same later this month. Clear said biometric ticketing will be available at additional stadia later in the season.

“As competition for consumer attention increases, sports teams, leagues, and venues want fans to be able to get into the game safely, get food and drinks, and get to their seats with fewer hassles,” said Clear’s head of sports, Ed O’Brien. “With Clear, venues can focus more of their time personalising and enhancing the game-day experience so fans can enjoy more of what they came to see.”

As the official biometric identity and ticketing partner of Major League Baseball, Clear will also be rolling out Clear Lanes at MLB Jewel Events to offer fans a faster, more secure entry experience. This July, Clear will be available at Progressive Field in Cleveland during the 2019 All-Star Week, and later this year, during postseason games at select ballparks.

The company’s Biometric Payments & Age Validation solution (BP) is also now available at T-Mobile Park, home to the Seattle Mariners. Members are able to buy food and drinks, and simultaneously prove that they are of legal age for alcohol purchases – with a single touch. Clear said it is working closely with MLB teams and local liquor board representatives across the country to make this concessions solution available to more fans this season.

In other baseball news, fans attending MLB ballparks this season will be granted an additional opportunity to capture their memories through a new multi-year partnership between 15 Seconds of Fame (15SOF) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA).

The social media app is designed to provide sports fans with priceless video moments captured on stadium videoboards and game broadcasts. 15SOF has been delivering these fan moments since striking an agreement with Major League Baseball Advanced Media in 2017, but by expanding the relationship to include MLBPA, 15SOF will now deliver a much broader array of content.

Bruce Cohen, chairman of 15SOF, said: “Partnering with the MLBPA is another advancement for baseball fans. Fans across the globe can keep and share their nostalgic moments, including when players appear on camera with them.  This is a first for the industry, and a home run for MLB fans.”

Image: D. Benjamin Miller