Indya acquires Bigtree Interactive Ticketing

Our eFE Bureau in Mumbai

Horizontal portal Indya.com, which was recently acquired by the Star Group, has acquired Bigtree Interactive Ticketing, an online ticketing company. Indya.com holds a 68 per cent stake with an investment of Rs 5 crore in Bigtree Interactive Ticketing, said Mr Ashish Hemrajani, co-founder, Bigtree Interactive Ticketing.

Indya’s new offering—Indya Tickets—is the result of a merger between Mumbai-based Bigtree Entertainment and Delhi-based Interactive Television’s online ticketing division. Mr Hemrajani also told The Financial Express that Indya.com has acquired the entire stake of Indocean Chase Capital Partners, which held a 51 per cent stake in Bigtree Interactive Ticketing. Indya.com has the majority shareholding in Bigtree Interactive Ticketing, while the rest is owned by the founders.

Speaking at the launch of Indya Tickets, Mr Alok Sethi, CEO, Bigtree Interactive Ticketing, said that the entertainment industry was poised to see sales to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore in five years. It stands at about Rs 10,000 crore today, he added. “We want to have a presence in this business, we already have relationships with over 100 cinemas and permissions from six state governments to put in place online ticketing systems,” he added.

The company offers various online ticketing services like kiosks where customers can avail of printed vouchers that they can exchange for tickets at the venue, a call centre as well as home delivery for a charge of Rs 10-15 per ticket.

Bigtree Interactive is also in the process of putting in place back-end systems in theatres to facilitate online ticket sales.