Ticket surcharge to help pay for bigger scoreboard at PNC Park

Ryan Deto
Friday, July 15, 2022 2:58 p.m. | Friday, July 15, 2022 2:58 p.m.

The owners of PNC Park and the Pirates are going to bring a larger scoreboard and video screen to the North Shore stadium.

The owners of PNC Park and the Pirates are going to bring a larger scoreboard and video screen to the North Shore stadium.

The owners of PNC Park and the Pittsburgh Pirates have reached an agreement to bring a larger scoreboard and video screen to the North Shore stadium.

At a Sports & Exhibition Authority meeting Thursday, the SEA authorized a $1 surcharge to all tickets sold at PNC Park that will cover most of the payments for the new scoreboard and other signage upgrades throughout the park.

SEA owns PNC Park and leases it to the Pirates. The surcharge goes into effect Nov. 1 and will last through the end of the lease in October 2030. The SEA is responsible for large capital improvements at the stadium.

The scoreboard will be expanded from 82 feet to 142 feet wide by next season. The current scoreboard was last replaced in 2006 for the MLB All-Star Game.

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SEA Executive Director Mary Conturo said the resolution of the new screen will be improved. The current pixel pitch, or the spacing between pixels, is 23 millimeters, and it will be decreased to 10.

Conturo said the deal is worth it to keep up with modern technology and improve the scoreboard.

“Technology is expensive, and its uses and capabilities are always expanding,” Conturo said. “With this agreement, the ballpark will generate money for ballpark technology improvements, including the expansion of the scoreboard. We think this is a very fair outcome.”

The upgrades also will include replacing the ribbon billboards that run along sections of the stadium below the seats and some smaller electronic signs scattered throughout the park.

Pirates spokesperson Brian Warecki said the upgrades are about ensuring the PNC Park is the best it can be.

“It is important that Pittsburgh remains home to the best ballpark in America,” Warecki said. “We are excited to partner with the SEA in the continued evolution to the fan experience at PNC Park.”

The Pirates will pay for the upgrades up front and will be reimbursed from the revenue generated by the ticket surcharge. If there are surcharge funds left over, those will go into the SEA’s capital reserve fund.

Ryan Deto is a TribLive reporter covering politics, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County news. A native of California’s Bay Area, he joined the Trib in 2022 after spending more than six years covering Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh City Paper, including serving as managing editor. He can be reached at rdeto@triblive.com.