The variable pricing model for NFL tickets is spreading.
The Patriots are joining the Lions in instituting the approach, which aims to better reflect the expected demand for games by charging different prices for games over the course of the season. The Patriots announced that there will be three tiers of games -- Preseason, Premier and Marquee -- with four regular season games in each of the top two tiers.
Season ticket holders will still wind up paying the same amount for their 10-game packages as they did in past years since the change in prices for individual games is meant to reflect the perceived value of those games. As a result, preseason games will cost about half as much as games in the Premier tier with the top tier games costing $19-50 more depending on the area of the stadium.
The Patriots also announced that they are raising ticket prices in two of the seven seating categories at Gilette Stadium. The remainder of the seats will cost the same on a season ticket basis as they did last season.