Rakuten is expected to acquire a stake in Tokyo-based ticket startup TicketStar, the Nikkei is reporting today. Next month, TicketStar will be issuing new shares Rakuten will buy.
Rakuten Enterprise, a subsidiary that’s currently handling Rakuten’s ticket business, will be shut down and absorbed by TicketStar.
Usually, customers buying tickets from Rakuten in Japan must do so two weeks before the event in question takes place and wait for the tickets to get mailed to them. TicketStar, however, makes it possible to buy tickets online and immediately pick them up at the nearest convenience store.
