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BookMyShow Acquires Restaurant Discovery Platform Burrp

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BookMyShow Acquires Restaurant Discovery Platform Burrp,Startup Stories,Startup Stories in India,Startup News,2017 Most Read Startup Stories,BookMyShow,BigTree Entertainment,Reliance Industries,MastiTickets,BookMyShow Buys Restaurant

Mumbai based online ticketing firm BookMYShow, has acquired Network 18 owned Mumbai based food delivery and restaurant discovery firm Burrp for Rs. 6.2 lakhs. This all cash deal has been termed as a slump sale when compared to the Rs. 4.25 crores that Infomedia18 paid to buy Burrp in 2009.

This divestment is being carried out by Foodfesta Wellcare Private Limited which is a subsidiary of BigTree Entertainment which owns and operates BookMyShow. The sale was finalized 2 months after the board of Network18 gave an in principal approval to sell Burrp. Employees, existing restaurant partnership and other key assets will be transferred to BookMyShow in accordance with the deal.

Burrp founded in 2006 by Deep Ubhi and Anand Jain competes with food discovery and delivery startup Zomato. The founders moved on to pursue their own ventures in 2009, after the buyout and from 2010 to 2014, Burrp saw several top management changes. In 2014, Reliance Industries bought Network18 and relaunched Burrp with a new management team. Burrp has also ventured into offer redemption and couponing along with the ticketing of food and beverages events and currently list over 60,000 restaurants in 14 cities.

However, leading online ticketing firm BookMyShow does not plan to get into the food delivery business even with the current acquisition and both the apps will operate independently for now. A spokesperson for BMS said that there could be a possibility of integration of services. BookMyShow users can also pre book food and beverages at cinemas while booking their movie tickets. The spokesperson also added that at the food and beverage segment for BookMyShow has been growing rapidly and has witnessed a 6x growth between FY-16 and FY- 17.

BookMyShow also offers executive and free discount coupons at popular restaurants near cinemas and has partnered with more than 2,100 food retail brands in about 80 cities. They cover over 6,400 outlets around 1,100 cinemas across India. This is their third acquisition this year after raising Rs. 550 crores from Stripes Group last year. The company previously acquired Hyderabad based MastiTickets in January and Pune based even platform Townscript in February.

The head of merger and acquisitions for BookMyShow Mani Vora said the food is an integral activity of the movie going experience in India and this is where Burrp will fit in for them.

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How Brands Around India Adapted RCB’s IPL 2025 Win: A Masterclass in Real-Time Marketing

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The Indian Premier League (IPL) is not just a cricket tournament—it’s a cultural phenomenon that captures the imagination of millions. The 2025 season was especially significant as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ended their 18-year wait for an IPL trophy, sparking nationwide celebrations and a flurry of creative marketing from brands eager to ride the wave of emotion.

Seizing the Moment with Creative Campaigns

Brands across sectors quickly recognized the marketing goldmine that was RCB’s historic victory. Social media platforms became the battleground for witty, nostalgic, and heartfelt content. Voltas Beko, for example, cleverly played on the long wait with a pun: “This moment’s been cooking for 18 years,” featuring a microwave set to 18:00

. Fevicol used humor, captioning a visual of the trophy snuggled in bed with the iconic fan chant: “Ee sala cup chipak gaya ;)”. MG Motor referenced Bangalore’s infamous traffic, declaring, “The only time Bangalore enjoys slow traffic,” as a car displayed “Trophy On Board”.

From Jerseys to Delivery Trucks

Official kit partner Puma India launched a special jersey commemorating the win, emblazoned with RCB’s tagline, “Played Bold”. Quick commerce brands like BlinkIt and Swiggy joined in, with BlinkIt showing the cup being delivered to Bengaluru via a delivery partner and Swiggy featuring a GPS tracker with a delivery executive en route to deliver the trophy. Zomato kept it simple yet impactful with a post reading “EE Sala Cup Namdu,” echoing the fans’ rallying cry.

Emotional Storytelling and Viral Reach

Brands leveraged the emotional high of RCB’s win to connect with audiences. Lego India posted an animated Virat Kohli with the cup, highlighting loyalty and perseverance: “Some waited for years, some questioned loyalty, but greatness? That’s built brick by brick. Champions at last!” Google India, Coca Cola, boAt, and others added to the chorus, each with their own creative spin.

Conclusion

RCB’s IPL 2025 win became more than a sports story—it was a moment of national pride and a catalyst for innovative, real-time marketing. Brands that adapted quickly, using humor, nostalgia, and emotional storytelling, not only amplified their reach but also deepened their connection with fans across India. This approach highlights the power of tapping into trending moments to create memorable, shareable content.

 

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Gemini 2.5: Revolutionizing Dialogue and Audio Generation with AI

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Google’s Gemini 2.5 marks a significant leap forward in artificial intelligence, introducing groundbreaking capabilities in dialogue and audio generation. Designed from the ground up as a multimodal model, Gemini 2.5 can natively understand and generate content across text, images, audio, video, and code, making it a versatile tool for developers, content creators, and businesses alike.

Advanced Dialogue: Real-Time, Natural, and Context-Aware

Gemini 2.5 excels in real-time audio dialogue, offering users remarkably fluid and expressive conversations. The AI’s ability to interpret tone, accent, and even non-speech vocalizations like laughter enables interactions that feel genuinely human. Users can customize speech delivery using natural language prompts, adjusting accents, tone, or even requesting whispered responses. This level of control is invaluable for applications ranging from virtual assistants to customer service bots.

The model is also context-aware, distinguishing between relevant speech and background noise, ensuring it responds only when appropriate. Integration with external tools, such as Google Search, allows Gemini 2.5 to incorporate real-time information seamlessly into conversations. Moreover, its multilingual capabilities support over 24 languages, enabling users to mix languages within a single phrase—ideal for global audiences.

Cutting-Edge Audio Generation: Flexible and Engaging

Beyond dialogue, Gemini 2.5 offers advanced text-to-speech (TTS) features. Users can generate everything from short snippets to long-form narratives, with precise control over style, tone, and emotional expression. The TTS engine supports multi-speaker dialogue, making it perfect for creating engaging summaries, podcasts, and audiobooks. Enhanced pace and pronunciation controls ensure audio clarity and naturalness, while multilingual output makes content accessible worldwide.

Developers can access these features through Google AI Studio and Vertex AI, with options for both high-fidelity (Gemini 2.5 Pro) and cost-effective (Gemini 2.5 Flash) audio generation. All generated audio includes SynthID watermarking for transparency and safety.

Conclusion

Gemini 2.5 is redefining the boundaries of AI-driven dialogue and audio generation. Its natural, expressive, and customizable voice capabilities, combined with robust reasoning and multilingual support, make it a powerful tool for the next generation of digital experiences.

Whether for interactive applications, content creation, or global communication, Gemini 2.5 sets a new standard for intelligent, multimodal AI.

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Dunzo Gets Breather as NCLT Rejects Insolvency Petition from Invoice Discounters

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The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Bengaluru bench has dismissed an insolvency plea filed against quick commerce startup Dunzo by its invoice discounters, declaring the petition “not maintainable” after several postponements. This decision offers temporary relief to Dunzo, which has been facing multiple insolvency petitions from various creditors, including Velvin Packaging Solutions and Betterplace Safety Solutions, over unpaid dues.

The invoice discounters alleged that Dunzo had paid only 50% of the required amounts, though the exact sum was not disclosed. Despite ongoing settlement talks, no resolution was reached, and the tribunal noted Dunzo’s delays in responding to creditor petitions. Dunzo continues to grapple with severe liquidity issues, delayed payments, and significant losses—reporting a ₹1,801.8 crore loss in FY23 and owing approximately ₹11.4 crore to major vendors like Google India and Facebook India.

While this NCLT ruling provides Dunzo some breathing room, the company still faces ongoing financial and operational challenges as it works to resolve its outstanding liabilities.

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