<p>CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It will cost some Carolina Panthers season ticket holders a little more to see a game next season.</p>
<p>The NFL team announced Tuesday that its average ticket price will rise to $107 per game, an increase of $3 per game.</p>
<p>Some seats in the lower bowl will increase by $5 to $15 per game, while some seats in the upper bowl will increase by $3. However, more than 56% of the stadium’s 33,000 non-premium seats will not see a ticket price increase, including 78% of those in the upper level.</p>
<p>Premium tickets, which include club seats and suites, will increase based on the terms in those contracts.</p>
<p>“We take a strategic and analytical approach to ticket pricing," Panthers spokesman Ryan Anderson said. "We look at a variety of data points to determine the demand for each area of the building and how to price our tickets appropriately.”</p>
<p>Hedge fund billionaire David Tepper bought the Panthers in 2018 for a record $2.27 billion and has been actively trying to build a winning franchise.</p>
<p>He is in the process of building a new $500 million practice facility in nearby Rock Hill, South Carolina, has invested nearly $30 million in stadium and facility improvements in Charlotte, has built a practice bubble at the team’s existing practice facility and has shown a willingness pay free agents. He also spent $325 million to bring a Major League Soccer expansion franchise to Charlotte.</p>
<p>Tepper has also said he wants to build a new stadium in Charlotte within the next decade.</p>
<p>Panthers season ticket holders can pay in full by May 3 or set up a six-month payment plan beginning this month. Fans with an existing ticket credit from the 2020 season, in which the Panthers hosted fewer than 6,000 fans per game due to COVID-19, will automatically be applied to the 2021 season ticket invoice.</p>
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