BookMyShow lays off 200 employees as COVID-19 chokes outdoor entertainment business

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New Delhi: With COVID-19 negatively impacting the outdoor entertainment business in India, BookMyShow has laid off 200 employees to mitigate the financial impact of the pandemic from the company’s books. 

Ashish Hemrajani, CEO and Co-founder of Bigtree Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the parent company of BookMyShow, said in a tweet, "COVID-19 has taught me many lessons & I learnt another one today. As we let go of 200 of the most incredibility talented & performance-driven individuals, each & everyone has messaged, thanking me for the opportunity, the love for @bookmyshow and asking me if they could help me in any way possible."

In a series of tweets, Hemraj pointed the woes BookMyShow is currently faced with. “These 200 folks were handpicked & curated over years and had surrounded themselves with the highest values of culture, performance and empathy. As the day passed, I had two thoughts, one of managing optics or two - just doing the right thing,” he added.

The CEO of BookMyShow also pointed out that he is going to provide support to the affected staff in finding new jobs. In one of his tweets, he urged Twitterati to update him with available job opportunities. Also Read: BookMyShow unveils streaming service: Here’s all you need to know

"And for me, finding each of them a new home, where a new journey can begin, was the easy choice. So if you have leads, please DM me & we will do the needful. They will contribute incredibly to the growth of your wonderful firms. I`m sure we will all come out stronger," he said.

The online ticketing platform had last year laid off 270 employees across its offices in India and globally due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Also Read: Hyderabad techie turns vegetable seller after lay-off amid coronavirus lockdown, Sonu Sood offers job