Mumbai:

Online ticket aggregator BookMyShow on Thursday said it has filed an FIR over black marketing of tickets for shows of British rock band Coldplay.

In a statement, the company said it is assessing potential cancellation of tickets that are being sold “unethically”.

“In its ongoing fight against ticket scalping and black marketing of tickets for Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India, BookMyShow has lodged a formal FIR (First Information Report) on October 2, 2024.

“This action follows our initial complaint filed proactively with the Mumbai Police on September 23, 2024, addressing these concerns much before any formal complaint was raised against us. BookMyShow’s FIR filed with the Mumbai police also urges authorities to investigate the unauthorised resale of tickets by individuals and platforms,” the statement read.

The highly-anticipated Coldplay concert in Mumbai in January 2025 has been clouded by concerns about ticketing scams as millions of fans scrambled for a limited number of tickets and turned to social media to vent their anger.

Some of the tickets were later being sold in the black market at a much higher price, leading to a probe by Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

The band has three shows at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on January 18, 19 and 21 next year as part of its “Music of the Spheres World Tour 2025”.

Earlier this week, the Mumbai police recorded the statement of Anil Makhija, the chief operating officer of BookMyShow in connection with a complaint.

The company clarified that Coldplay’s performances in India will proceed as planned. “Reports contrary to this are factually incorrect,” it said.

BookMyShow said it has provided details of all resellers that have come to their attention, including independent individuals reselling tickets across social media platforms.

“We remain vigilant in monitoring such instances of ticket reselling for this tour through black market channels and will continue to share all relevant information with the authorities to ensure appropriate action is taken,” it added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

British rock band Coldplay on Sunday added a third show to the Mumbai leg of its “Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025” citing “phenomenal demand”, hours after fans expressed disappointment over long virtual queues on the online ticket platform BookMyShow.

According to the platform’s website, all three shows are sold out.

The tickets for the new show, set to be held on January 21 at Mumbai’s DY Patil Sports Stadium, went live at 2 pm on BookMyShow.

“Due to phenomenal demand, a third Mumbai date has been added at DY Patil Stadium for 21 January, 2025. Tickets on sale at 2PM IST today,” Coldplay said in an X post, alongside the booking link.

Due to phenomenal demand, a third Mumbai date has been added at DY Patil Stadium for 21 January, 2025. Tickets on sale at 2PM IST today, at https://t.co/4CTfg2kbGUpic.twitter.com/ScYDrRkDIc

— Coldplay (@coldplay) September 22, 2024

According to reports, the server of BookMyShow website and app on Sunday crashed as it opened the sale for the British band’s concerts scheduled for next year.

Soon, hashtags ‘Coldplay’, ‘BookMyShow’, and ‘Crashed’ started trending on X.

Coldplay had already announced two shows on January 18 and 19, 2025, at the DY Patil Sports Stadium.

Several fans shared screenshots of their frozen computer screens and smartphones with the app experiencing a lot of traffic.

According to BookMyShow, the sale for the tickets of the two shows on January 18 and 19, 2025, at Mumbai’s DY Patil Sports Stadium, was supposed to open at 12 noon. Many said the tickets remained unavailable for booking well over 12.15 pm.

The ticket prices range from Rs 2,500 to Rs 12,500, with Rs 35000 for lounge area, according to the platform’s website.

In less than an hour, the server got back up and BookMyShow shared a message of facing “heavy traffic” on every account trying to book a ticket, with the wait list going as high as 842,745 (data on BookMyShow website as per 1.39 pm).

“Because of heavy traffic, queue is moving slower than expected. Thank you for your patience!” read a message on the platform.

A fan claimed other platforms are selling Coldplay tickets at inflated prices.

“Dear @coldplay, fans in India are struggling to get tickets on @Bookmyshow_live with waitlists over 300k, but platforms like Viagogo (search coldplay india tickets on google, first sponsored link will be VIAGOGO)are selling them at inflated prices. #coldplayindia #BookMyShow (sic)” said a user.

Soon, BookMyShow warned fans about unauthorised platforms selling fake tickets for the Coldplay India tour.

“It has come to our attention that unauthorised platforms are listing tickets for Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India, both before and after the official sale.

“These tickets are invalid. Ticket scalping is illegal in India and punishable by law. Please don’t fall prey to this because you will be buying fake tickets. Avoid scams! BookMyShow is the only official platform for ticket sales,” the platform said in a post on X. A few helpful fans suggested others waiting to refresh the page.

“If you are in the queue for coldplay tickets and it’s going slow, refresh your page. It’s going to be quicker #Coldplay #BookMyShow (sic)” said an X user.

“Indians everytime when they try to book tickets of Coldplay and any other major event on bookmyshow! Crashed again! #bookmyshow #Coldplay (sic)” wrote another.

“Bookmyshow server be like: Sir mai kaam hi nahi karta kuch! #BookMyShow #Coldplay (sic)” a user joked on X.

The Mumbai concert will mark Coldplay’s first visit to India in eight years.

The Grammy-winning band previously performed in Mumbai as part of the Global Citizen Festival back in 2016.

“Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025” will commence on October 30 at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, and will conclude on August 31, 2025, with a show at the Wembley Stadium in London, the UK.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)