Tagit, a Singapore based mobile commerce company, with its development base in India,

Tagit, a Singapore based mobile commerce company, with its development base in India, announced that Mobile phone users in India will now be able to book movie tickets in all Cinema Halls owned by AdLabs, the country’s largest chain of screens, using a unique solution called Mobile Box Office which enables users to book tickets, make payment and even select seats using their mobile phones!

All you need to do to block your seats for the latest releases like JAB WE MET and NO SMOKING, is to send an SMS to a predetermined number, download an application which guides you through the whole process, right up to blocking your seats. The system runs on GPRS, giving users a seamless and effortless way of navigating content which is being dynamically updated in real time from Adlab’s website. The confirmation of the booking is sent directly to the user’s phone in text form. Thus no more standing in queue, no more multiple trips to the cinema, and no more buying tickets in the black.

The Indian movie business is experiencing annualised growth rates of about 30 per cent. In 2006, Indian films grossed about USD 2 billion, up from USD 1.5 billion in 2004. A Price Waterhouse Coopers forecast expects revenues will leap to more than USD 4 billion over the next five years. About 30 to 40% of these revenues are from multiplexes, which makes mobile ticketing an attractive proposition.

“With the largest film industry and the largest number of mobile users, India is the ideal place to roll-out this solution,” says Shankar Narayanan, co-founder & president of Tagit. “The mobile phone is probably the one product that has successfully bridged the digital divide and solutions like ours, help the mobile users benefit from internet services, which were till now the preserve of only PC users”. Elaborating, he mentioned that the service has found ready acceptance among cinemagoers of another major cinema chain which has introduced the service. “Our solution enjoys over 55% market share in the burgeoning Mobile e-ticketing market”, he added.

Adlabs Cinemas, well known for its strategic deployment of technology to enhance customers’ cinematic experience, will make this service available across its 110 screens spread across 26 cities. “At Adlabs, we believe in innovation and customer convenience. The Mobile Box Office solution from Tagit empowers our customers and saves them time, effort and money, thus adding to the quality of the cinema-going experience. The response in the first week of its launch has been extremely encouraging”, says Tushar Dhingra, COO, Adlabs Cinemas.

"Adlabs is a premier brand and we are proud to be associated with them for their mobile ticketing platform. This is yet another milestone in our global thrust to be the leading service platform for entertainment, travel, hospitality, commerce and finance", informed Ranjan Kapur, Country Head, WPP India and Chairman of Tagit India.

Commenting on the future plans of the company in India, Narayanan says, 'Mobile internet usage in India will grow at a rapid pace and need-based services such as ticketing, bill payments and mobile government services will become the drivers for this growth, which will in turn lead to the growth of mobile advertising”. According to the latest figures released by TRAI, India has already crossed the 250 million user mark last year, much ahead of schedule. Of this, 25 million subscribers are in the city of Mumbai alone. Given the increasing adoption and ease of usage of GPRS, the community of mobile service users is bound to grow. Conservative estimates place the number close to 20 million in the next few years.

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About Tagit (India) Private Limited

Tagit is a mobile commerce company with a Development and Marketing office in Noida, India. It has innovated the ATM (Advanced Transactional Mobility) platform for mobile commerce which enables secure and seamless payments on mobile phones, and is able to adapt, transform and project online content onto hundreds of different mobile phone models rapidly and at low cost without the need for extensive reconfiguration of operating systems. Tagit has developed a suite of advanced mobile commerce applications for the entertainment , travel, financial and government sectors, and major international companies have already signed up for this unique solution.

About Adlabs Films

Adlabs, a member of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, is one of the leading movie and entertainment companies in India with a dominant presence across the value chain: production of films and TV content, film processing and services, domestic and international distribution of content and a nationwide cinema chain. Adlabs currently has a market capitalization of over Rs. 2300 crores.

For more information, please contact:
Rohit Srivastava, MelCole PR Shankar Narayanan, Tagit
Phone: +91-11-29834428, 29833118 Phone: +91-9892853310.