Eternal’s District plays hardball with new sports booking feature

The district will partner with facilities in Delhi-National Capital Region, Mumbai and Bengaluru early next month, before being rolled out in phases to other cities, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the details have not been made public.

“The company has already signed a number of agreements with plant operators in three cities and is in talks with many more in other cities such as Hyderabad and Pune,” said one of the two people cited above.

The firm aims to attract a variety of users at various price points, from standalone badminton courts to high-end facilities such as The Ballard Pier in South Mumbai, both people previously quoted as saying.

District will charge venues a commission for each booking, just like its restaurant table booking offering, while operators will benefit from its brand equity and reach.

Eternal’s foray into tech-focused sports bookings pits it against Game Theory, which is backed by Zerodha’s startup accelerator fund Rainmatter and tennis player Rohan Bopanna, Playo and KheloMore among startups; and Decathlon India and Hudle are among the larger companies. Cult.fit also offers court bookings for select sports such as badminton and swimming.

Eternal declined to comment mint questions.

India’s growing sports technology market

The outdoor fitness venue booking market is growing, fueled by younger users who see it not only as a way to achieve their fitness goals in a more engaging way, but also as an easy opportunity to spend free time with friends and family.

According to KPMG India’s September 2025 report, the sports technology market in India, which includes venue/infrastructure solutions, e-sports, fantasy gaming and performance analytics, was valued at around $1.6 billion in FY25 and is expected to grow 3-4 times by 2030, driven by OTT and data-driven performance tools.

“Integrating sports facility booking is a textbook development for a platform focused on the out-of-home consumption segment. By expanding its offerings to include high-demand activities like dining, events and now pickleball, Eternal creates a single, indispensable ecosystem for all the user’s entertainment spends,” said Prasanth Shanthakumaran, partner and sports sector head, KPMG India. “The increase in usefulness means more frequent app usage, higher customer lifetime value and ultimately brand loyalty,” said Shanthakumaran.

We are expanding the out-of-home ecosystem

Eternal entered the ticketing segment by acquiring Insider, Paytm’s entertainment and ticketing company, about a year ago. ₹2,048 crore. The company aims to dominate the ‘going out’ market, which includes everything from restaurant table reservations and movie and event tickets to events such as pottery classes and book clubs.

The region faces competition from market leader BookMyShow, Network18 and the Elevation Capital-backed company, which has been going strong for almost two decades.

Eternal’s out-of-home consumption unit is testing new features to increase the permanence of the platform. In June, Souled Store added a pilot feature called ‘Shops’, offering special deals on purchases from partner retailers including Heads Up for Tails, Puma, Baggit and Snitch. The goal was to transform a routine store visit into a planned, value-driven experience and drive higher levels of customer retention and engagement from the District’s merchants.

“Dining out and events are fast-growing segments driven by urban populations seeking rich, digitally savvy, tailored experiences, a profile that meshes well with food delivery and fast-paced commerce customers,” Bernstein said in a Nov. 3 note. “Steady progress in these metrics is critical for both Eternal and Swiggy as it demonstrates their ability to penetrate a growing share of the consumer wallet.”

In an interview with Mint In September, Region’s chief executive officer, Rahul Ganjoo, said Eternal was focused on finding a product market suitable for its new experiments in the out-of-home segment. Ultimately, it aims to get more active users, retain them, and encourage them to use the app more often rather than booking tickets to the occasional movie or concert.