Flipkart Targets Events Ticketing Market, Takes on BookMyShow and District

In anticipation of an IPO, Walmart-owned Flipkart intends to join the Indian market for movie and live event tickets. The company is thinking about launching a new sector to get into the fast-growing market.

In a showdown with BookMyShow and Eternal's District, Flipkart is considering launching the service as soon as May. If all goes according to plan, Flipkart's foray into the ticketing industry will allow it to branch out from its traditional e-commerce roots and establish new customer-facing sectors.

Flipkart Trying its Hand on Food Delivery

Some have speculated that Flipkart may test out a meal delivery service. The e-commerce giant is reportedly considering two strategies to break into the meal delivery market as of February. It might introduce the service by creating its own independent platform or by releasing a buyer-facing app on the government-supported ONDC. In May or June, the trial will start in Bengaluru, and if things go well, a wider rollout might happen before the year ends or at the beginning of next year.

It had considered getting into the ONDC meal delivery business about two years ago, but it never happened. If the plan goes through, Flipkart will join two markets where Zomato and Swiggy are dominant despite the high levels of competition and low margins. Speculation has it that Flipkart is intending to solicit $2 billion to $2.5 billion from investors both at home and abroad in a pre-IPO financing round. These proceeds will help finance the company's growth.

Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy reportedly met with bankers in London, Singapore, and the United States. As part of his preparations for an initial public offering (IPO), he spoke with financial institutions like Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America.

Recent Developments at Flipkart

In 2018, Flipkart was acquired by Walmart for $16 billion. In 2024, Flipkart received a $350 million private investment from Google, which put its valuation at $36 billion. Consequently, it has become one of the most valuable startups in India. Flipkart, which was based in Singapore before its IPO, completed its "reverse flip" to India last month. Also last month, after 15 years with the e-commerce titan, its chief financial officer Sriram Venkaraman resigned.

In response to the segment's meteoric rise, Flipkart has spent the last year bolstering its fast commerce offering, Flipkart Minutes. With 800 dark stores up and running in Q1 2026, Flipkart Minutes is well positioned to reach 1,200 soon. The company's marketplace business, Flipkart Internet, had a 14% increase in operating revenue to INR 20,493 Cr in FY25 from INR 17,907 Cr in FY24, according to financial reports. Its net loss for the same period was INR 1,494 Cr, down 37% from INR 2,359 Cr the year before.