KKR will acquire a minority stake in BookMyShow to help the ticketing platform scale its live entertainment business across India.

The two sides signed definitive agreements on 18 August, though neither company has revealed the size of the stake or how much money is involved. The deal still needs the usual regulatory approvals before it can close.

Once it does, the fresh capital is expected to help BookMyShow push further into live entertainment, a business it has been building alongside its original movie-ticketing operations.

BookMyShow started out in 2007 as a place to book cinema tickets online. It has since grown into something much bigger, now covering more than 7,000 cinema screens along with concerts, theatre and sports events across over 700 towns and cities in India.

Its live entertainment arm handles everything from signing artists to producing and promoting shows. Past events include Lollapalooza India, U2’s Joshua Tree Tour, the NBA’s first games in India, and performances by acts like Coldplay and Ed Sheeran.

Akshay Tanna, who heads KKR’s India private equity business, said BookMyShow has been “a pioneer in delivering high-quality entertainment experiences” in the country. This isn’t BookMyShow’s first outside funding.

The company, run by Bigtree Entertainment, has raised over $224 million since 2012 from backers including Accel, Elevation Capital, Stripes Group, TPG and Network18, which is part of Reliance Industries. KKR now joins that list.

On the business front, BookMyShow’s revenue climbed 30.7% to Rs 1,869.3 crore in FY25, up from Rs 1,429.9 crore the year before. Net profit rose even faster, up 77.1% to Rs 192.4 crore.

Avendus Capital advised BookMyShow on the financial side of the deal, while law firm Trilegal handled the legal work.

For KKR, the investment adds an Indian entertainment name to a portfolio that already spans media businesses globally, alongside its existing India bets in healthcare, consumer goods and technology.

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