Six things we learned in Atlanta sports business this week:
1. Latest Falcons PSL sales figures: The Falcons have sold about 33,000 personal seat licenses for the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, generating about $181 million, according to the latest available figures obtained this week from the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. That leaves tens of thousands of seat licenses for the Falcons to attempt to sell before the start of next season. Full story here.
2. Atlanta United will debut at Georgia Tech: Scrapping previous plans to play the first three months of next season on the road and then a full back-loaded home schedule at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta United announced this week it instead will play its home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium for the first three to five months of its inaugural season until the new stadium is ready for events. Full story here.
3. Mercedes-Benz Stadium's opening: While the Atlanta United announcement introduced some wiggle room into Mercedes-Benz Stadium's opening date, switching the stated date from June 1, 2017, to a more nebulous "summer" 2017, AMB Group's CEO said unequivocally that the stadium will be ready for the start of next NFL season, including preseason games. Full story here.
4. Braves' TV ratings: The Braves finished near the bottom of the major leagues in local TV ratings this season, showing a continued decline even as the team's play improved in the second half. According to a SportsBusiness Journal analysis of Nielsen data, Braves games averaged a 1.18 local rating, tied for fourth lowest among MLB teams and down 35 percent from the year before. Full story here.
5. Falcons' TV ratings: The Falcons' victory over the Carolina Panthers last Sunday posted a 20.8 rating in the Atlanta TV market, the biggest draw in a busy weekend of local sports. Saturday's Georgia-Tennessee game drew a 16.0 rating here, Saturday's Georgia Tech-Miami game a 5.4 rating, Sunday's Braves-Tigers game a 0.9 rating and Sunday's farewell-to-Turner-Field postgame ceremony a 1.5 rating. Full story here.
6. SunTrust Park legacy brick program: The Braves are selling personalized brick pavers to be installed on the north side of the new ballpark's exterior, behind home plate between the first-base and third-base gates. Packages range from $150 to $325. Full story here.
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