The website of online ticketing platform BookMyShow crashed Sunday, seconds after the sale of tickets for the highly anticipated Coldplay concert went live, leaving fans stuck in digital queues and disappointed.
The concert, scheduled for January 18 and 19 at the DY Patil Sports Stadium in Navi Mumbai, marks the British band’s return to India after an eight-year break.Frustrated fans took to social media to criticise the platform’s failure, with many questioning its ability to handle high-demand events. Before the sale, BookMyShow had assured fans on X (formerly Twitter) that the process would be smooth.
“Never understood why on earth #BookMyShow is chosen as the ticketing partner for bookings. They did mess up with world cup tickets, and now Coldplay scene,” one fan wrote on X.
“Just like you expected! @bookmyshow being @bookmyshow!,” another user wrote.
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Gurugram resident Rupa Suri said she was waiting to book a ticket from the moment she landed in Goa for a holiday. “However, due to this entire booking process, my entire holiday has been ruined and I am truly devastated. What a killjoy,” she told ET.
BookMyShow said there was a brief delay in the booking process, but it ensured “minimal disruption for genuine fans”.
“At BookMyShow and BookMyShow Live, we’ve worked hard to ensure every fan had a fair chance to secure tickets, providing clear, step-by-step booking guides and maintaining transparent communication through all our official channels,” a spokesperson said.
“We implemented a queueing system to manage the overwhelming demand and addressed issues caused by suspicious and malicious traffic within minutes, causing a brief delay, but ensuring minimal disruption for genuine fans.”
Meanwhile, some fans who secured tickets have already begun listing them for resale on social media, often at inflated prices, with many eager buyers ready to pay.
Coldplay’s return to India has been long awaited since their 2016 appearance at the Global Citizen Festival in Mumbai. The Grammy-winning band — comprising Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion — is set to perform a mix of hits from their recent album Music of the Spheres alongside classics like “Yellow”, “Fix You” and “Viva La Vida.”
Due to unprecedented demand, the band added a third show on January 21. Tickets for this newly announced date will be available through BookMyShow. Teasing fans further, Coldplay hinted at a “mystery guest” appearance for this show.
Fans who missed out on tickets on Sunday will have another chance when more tickets are released on November 22.
According to BookMyShow, more than 13 million fans logged on to the platform Sunday.
Meanwhile, Deepinder Goyal-led Zomato has indicated that tickets for the ‘Zomato Feeding India Concert’, featuring pop star Dua Lipa and set for November 30 at Mumbai’s MMRDA Grounds, are sold out. Priced from Rs 45,000, the tickets come with a ‘Book Now, Sell Anytime’ option, allowing buyers to resell them directly through the Zomato app if their plans change.
Zomato’s recent acquisition of fintech firm Paytm’s events and ticketing business for Rs 2,048 crore is expected to intensify competition with BookMyShow.
BookMyShow posted a net profit in FY23 after a loss the previous year, driven by a surge in online ticket bookings, which accounted for 63% of its total revenue.
The global online movie ticketing service market is projected to grow by $8.83 billion between 2024 and 2028, according to a Technavio report.
