MAM
Rediffusion DYR ‘shining’ in Colombo
MUMBAI: Colombo has been lucky for Rediffussion DYR. While back home, past one year hasn’t been exactly the brightest, but the company claims to have been on an account winning spree in Sri Lanka.
Established in April 2002, the Sri Lankan office of Rediffusion DYR claims to be going from strength to strength, especially in past nine months.
The agency, in a release issued, claims that looking at it’s strong performance, the company has billing target for 2004 is set at a realistic SLR 600 million. The agency’s current client portfolio includes Singer, National Lotteries Board, Hayleys (Philips bulbs), S-Lon, Kevilton, ICL and Ole.
According to the release, besides growing the business portfolio with their existing clients the agency has also won Caltex, Life Insurance Corporation Lanka and two car brands Megane and Laguna from Renault.
The agency claims to have begun to focus on winning business and making a real mark on the Sri Lankan advertising industry, since D Rajappa took over as Rediffusion DYR, Colombo CEO.
At present, the team, comprising 25 people at the Colombo office is poised to help the agency grow into one of the country’s leading advertising agencies. The agency claims to have upgraded infrastructure both in terms of the hardware and software. The Sri Lankan division has employed the 3-D planning model and other proprietary tools from DYR for creating advertising and integrated marketing solutions that are distinctive and memorable, says the release.
According to Rajappa, “The Sri Lankan market is full of tremendous potential and this is apparent in all aspects of life. Colombo is the first international destination for India’s private airlines as they take to the international skies. Global megastars like Bryan Adams have performed to rapturous response recently in Colombo. Rediffusion’s presence in Sri Lanka has been one of the unsung stories of Indian success on international soil. Our recent account wins have catapulted us into the top bracket of advertising in Sri Lanka and we take great heart in having achieved all this within two years of launch.”
Progress over the period of nine months aside, Rediffusion DYR Colombo has successfully launched two brand and three new campaigns in past two months. The two new brand launches were Divyangana- a women’s life insurance policy from LIC Lanka and the launch of two new car models Megane and Laguna for Renault. The agency also released three new campaigns including a television commercial for Raja Theja Tea and print campaigns for Whirlpool and Hitachi from Singer.
According to Rajappa, “The heightened activity in the Sri Lankan market augurs well for us at Rediffusion. A significant number of the brands we handle in Sri Lanka are not yet present in India and it is natural that entry to the Indian market would be sought at some stage both by Sri Lankan brands as well as the international brands. The agency’s experience in the Sri Lankan market with these brands will be of immense benefit to us when that happens”.
MAM
Debkumar Dasgupta joins Dangal TV as Head of Syndication
Veteran broadcast executive to drive international and national content sales
MUMBAI: Debkumar Dasgupta, a seasoned broadcast media professional with over 30 years in the industry, has taken charge as head of syndication at Dangal TV, overseeing both international and national markets.
Dangal TV, owned by Enterr10 Television Network, is a popular 24-hour Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC). Launched in 2009 originally for Bhojpuri movies, it has since pivoted to Hindi entertainment, with a focus on family dramas, mythology, and crime shows catering to both urban and rural audiences.
Dasgupta brings a formidable track record in content acquisition, syndication sales, and P&L management across ME, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. His career spans top media organisations including IndiaCast Media, Viacom18, MTV Networks, Catvision Products and Tee-Men’s.
Most recently, he was with GoQuest Media as group partnership and strategy head, managing partnerships and monetisation strategies across the region. He also served as vice president – content acquisition and partnership for Asia and Africa, negotiating deals for Turkish dramas and other high-demand content.
Earlier stints include senior vice president and business head roles at IndiaCast Media Distribution, steering ME&A and global syndication sales, and boosting the reach of Viacom18 channels such as Colors, MTV India, Colors Rishtey and News18 India across Asia-Pacific, South Asia, ME, Africa, CIS, CEE and Latin America.
Dasgupta began his media journey as senior director – network development at MTV Networks India, managing channel carriage and affiliate revenues, before moving into content sales and international business with Viacom18. He started in cable TV sales with Catvision Limited, handling nationwide dealer and distributor networks.
Known as a creative change agent, Dasgupta has consistently driven revenue growth, market share expansion, and efficiency improvements, combining deep market insights with hands-on leadership.
With his global expertise and strong cross-functional experience across sales, legal, marketing, programming, logistics and finance, Dangal TV is set to strengthen its content syndication footprint and expand its international reach under his leadership.
Dasgupta’s appointment signals an aggressive push to leverage ethnic content opportunities and emerging markets, ensuring Dangal TV keeps pace in an increasingly competitive broadcast ecosystem.
