By Indranil Sarkar
(Reuters) – British rock-band Coldplay has partnered with Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s broadcast venture to livestream one of its two upcoming concerts in Ahmedabad, as international artists step up efforts to reach Indian fans.
Tens of thousands of people are set to attend the Coldplay concert in the western state of Gujarat on Jan. 26, with tickets selling out within minutes of going on sale last year.
The Coldplay announcement is one of the first major partnerships since Ambani’s Reliance Industries and Walt Disney merged their Indian media assets last year in a $8.5 billion deal that created the country’s biggest entertainment company.
The performance will be streamed on Disney+ Hotstar, the biggest streaming app by users in India.
“Coldplay’s biggest ever show will stream LIVE from Ahmedabad across all of India,” the band said in a video post on X on Friday.
The events market in India is going through a major shift, with young, well-to-do Indians’ appetite for entertainment growing fast and attracting global music stars like Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran and Maroon 5.
Streaming apps are also hugely popular and millions of people use them to watch content including Hollywood and Bollywood movies and sports, especially the Indian Premier League cricket tournament.
Coldplay will play three concerts in Mumbai from Saturday, before heading to Ahmedabad for shows on Jan. 25 and Jan. 26. The concerts are part of their globally acclaimed Music of the Spheres World Tour.
“I am ready to pay a premium, if needed, to the platform for live streaming the concert,” said Deekshitha Devdas, a doctor, who failed to get tickets for any of Coldplay’s Indian shows.
“It would be very comfortable for someone like me, who is pregnant, to enjoy the show with my family from the comfort of my living room.”
(Reporting by Indranil Sarkar in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Kalra and Kate Mayberry)
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