Not too long ago we had mentioned the acquisition of Bigtree Entertainment by TV18 Bigtree which owned a movie ticketing portal movietell.co.in at the time of acquisition.
Even then Web18 CEO Surya Mantha had mentioned that Web18 wanted to be the leaders in the consumer internet space and keeping that objective in mind Web18 has launched a self explanatory site Bookmyshow.com.
Bookmyshow as you might have guessed is an online movie ticket booking portal. Currently most multiplex chains have online ticket booking facility but with the number of multiplexes rising and consumerism also rising i think there is good potential in such a portal.
Similar Players
bookeazy
kyazoonga
Both of the above online movie & event ticketing sites do pretty much the same thing as bookmyshow. Though as pointed out by our readers Kyazoonga allows you to exchange your movie tickets online. Also, BookEazy does not require customers to pay online – they pay at the theatre.
What Statistics Say?
Recent statistics also show that online movie ticket booking is on the rise..
Here are the statistics
So Whats the Revenue Model?
The revenue model is something i was not too sure about though. If the theatres would be willing to pay a per transaction fee or the users of the site would be charged a little extra was not yet known to me. But going through the website made me read this "Note : A convenience charge (per ticket) will be levied. Please check the same before completing the transaction. ". So that settled it. You pay for booking the movie ticket online. Whether or not people hook on to this is subjective but being an avid film watcher myself i feel this would work.
The TV18 Factor
Being backed by TV18 does have its perks as the new website is already offering a 25 per cent discount on all tickets of Yash Raj Films’ next release Chak De! India starring Shah Rukh Khan. The website has also partnered with PVR, Adlabs, Fun Cinemas, Inox, DT Cinemas, Prasadz, Wave, M2K Cinemas, 24Karat, SRS cinemas, Chanakaya, Velocity, JAM Multiplex and Movietime among others.
What the CEO’s say?
Big Tree Entertainment CEO Ashish Hemrajani said, "We hope to offer a world class experience while booking tickets on the web or through our call centers. We understand the Indian customer and therefore offer a range of payment options via a secure credit card payment mechanism on the website as well as the call center for those who wish to book last minute and not reach the cinema 45 minutes early to pick up tickets."
"Our web 2.0 interface is simple yet extremely fast, backed by some very smart and intelligent technology and database. We hope to reduce customer wait time enabling him to quickly and efficiently transact real-time and book his tickets direct at the cinema level with seat layout options," he added.
Hmmm.. Only if people knew that adding a little ajax doesnt make a site Web 2.0 :S.. But all in all interesting space to watch for!
> Both of the above online movie & event ticketing
> sites do pretty much the same thing as bookmyshow.
Not Entirely True – You have glossed over some significant features on these other sites that set them apart. For example, Kyazoonga allows you to exchange your movie tickets online. Also, BookEazy does not require customers to pay online – they pay at the theatre.
Thanks.. its great to know that we have such avid readers
.. what i meant was they were 90% similar.. but ur right i should have gone deeper into the analysis.. Im happy though we have readers like you 
)
Thanks Rajiv, I definitely do enjoy your work here on WATBlog.
Hope you will make the necessary edits to the above post.
well bookmyshow is much better than both the other sites. Have a look at its super cool EUI. Also the no. of cinema chains with bookmyshow is much vast in each of the city. And the best part is the satisfaction of selecting the seats yourself with a seating layout which none of the other websites offer. One other feature that truly and distinctly sets bookmyshow apart is their dedicated call centre and IVR that offers home delivery of tickets without any extra fees. just the usual convenience fee that you are paying at any of those sites. so u c bookmyshow is truly apart from the other 2…
"bookmyshow" is overly done "dehaati" site. 8o|
We at BookMyShow heartily appreciate your gesture of writing an optimistic review about our website http://www.bookmyshow.com
BookMyShow respects the feedback from valued customers like you, as we thrive on the quest to provide entertainment at an ease. We hope the pleasure keeps budding and our mutual pact lasts longer, as we continue booking for your favorite Movie, Play and Concert. Thank you for feedback.