Many of the best seats for Charlotte Bobcats home games will cost $15 to $30 more per ticket than the Charlotte Hornets charged their last season here.

The Bobcats announced their ticket prices Wednesday for the 2004-05 season, when they'll play in the Charlotte Coliseum. The team will move into a new, uptown arena the following season, when they'll likely again raise ticket prices.

The Bobcats will charge $115 for a courtside seat sold on a single-game basis that first season. That same seat cost $85 in the 2001-02 season, before the Hornets moved to New Orleans.

The Bobcats say they're offering season-ticket discounts that narrow that price difference. For instance, a $115 ticket drops to $100 as part of a 43-game season-ticket package.

Bobcats officials say they have to charge more than the Hornets did to have any chance to break even. Team owner Bob Johnson is paying the NBA a $300 million expansion fee and underwriting millions in start-up costs.

"To be honest, this is the price for building a viable business in the NBA," Bobcats executive vice president Ed Tapscott said. "We're balancing a pricing schedule that's sensitive to this market with (the ability to be) viable and competitive in the NBA."

The Bobcats hope to get Hornets fans back into their old seats. The team is offering former Hornets season-ticket holders first chance to buy Bobcats season tickets, before they go on sale to the general public.