Investment firm KKR has agreed to acquire a minority stake in BookMyShow, the Indian ticketing and live entertainment company.
The deal gives KKR a position in the business whose live division, BookMyShow Live, has staged concerts in India by Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Travis Scott, Guns N’ Roses and Post Malone.
KKR will make the investment through funds it manages, under definitive agreements signed on Wednesday (August 19).
Financial terms of the KKR investment were not disclosed, and the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.
Founded in 2007, BookMyShow is owned and operated by Bigtree Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and says it operates across more than 700 towns and cities in India.
Its ticketing platform covers over 7,000 cinema screens, while BookMyShow Live handles talent and IP acquisition, production, promotion and audience development for concerts, theatricals and sports.
Past BookMyShow Live properties include Lollapalooza India, U2‘s The Joshua Tree Tour, the NBA‘s debut games in India, Disney‘s Aladdin and Cirque du Soleil BAZZAR.
“We believe BookMyShow will play an important role in advancing India’s ambition to become a global entertainment hub and a premier destination for leading artists and acts from around the world.
Akshay Tanna, KKR
Akshay Tanna, Partner and Head of India Private Equity at KKR, said: “BookMyShow has been a pioneer in delivering high-quality entertainment experiences in India.
“We are pleased to support BookMyShow as it continues to lead the next phase of growth in India’s out-of-home entertainment sector.
“We believe BookMyShow will play an important role in advancing India’s ambition to become a global entertainment hub and a premier destination for leading artists and acts from around the world.
“We look forward to combining our deep local knowledge with our global investment experience and network to support BookMyShow in its next stage of transformation and further elevate the world-class experiences it delivers to audiences across India.”
“The timing of this investment is particularly exciting, as we have significantly expanded our presence across the live entertainment landscape and are seeing the opportunity for India‘s entertainment economy grow like never before.
Ashish Hemrajani, BookMyShow
Ashish Hemrajani, Founder and CEO of BookMyShow, said: “We are delighted to welcome KKR as an investor in BookMyShow.
“Their global perspective, deep expertise and strong understanding of consumer businesses will be invaluable as we enter the next phase of our journey.
“The timing of this investment is particularly exciting, as we have significantly expanded our presence across the live entertainment landscape and are seeing the opportunity for India‘s entertainment economy grow like never before.
“We are also grateful to our longstanding investors Network18 (part of Reliance Industries Limited), Accel Partners, Elevation Capital, Stripes Group, and TPG for their continued support.”
The investment adds to KKR‘s presence in live entertainment and music.
In 2024, the firm acquired European festivals company Superstruct in a deal valued at around $1.4 billion.
Alongside Dundee Partners, KKR also established music-rights platform Chord Music Partners by acquiring a catalog from Kobalt for $1.1 billion in 2021.
KKR sold its stake in Chord to a consortium led by Dundee in 2024 – a transaction that also saw Universal Music Group acquire a 25.8% stake in Chord.
Other entertainment/media investments from KKR in recent years have included ByteDance, Epic Games, PlayOnSports, OverDrive, and Simon & Schuster.
BookMyShow sits at the center of an India live-events market that grew 44% year-on-year in 2025, according to a recent FICCI-EY report.
The company co-promoted Travis Scott’s India shows with Live Nation, which drew more than 125,000 fans across two dates, MBW reported.
Beyond India, BookMyShow says it operates in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the UAE and Sri Lanka.
Avendus Capital served as exclusive financial advisor to BookMyShow on the deal, with Trilegal acting as legal advisor.Music Business Worldwide
