MAM
JWT, Starcom bag creative & media duties for Hungama
MUMBAI: UTV has finalised JWT as the creative agency and Starcom as the AOR for its kiddies channel Hungama TV which is set to launch in August this year. Industry estimates say that the mid-size account could be anywhere in the range of Rs 80 – 100 million.
“We decided on JWT for their strategic approach and creative inputs. The agency displayed exemplary understanding of the brief. And Starcom won us over with their out of the box approach and innovative media selection given that the media vehicles themselves are limited for a broadcast product,” says Hungama TV vice president content and communications Shalini Rawla.
“It was a very focused brief and a clearly differentiated product. As we discovered, most of us are still kids at heart and we had a terrific time working on the pitch. I believe some of our passion came through in our presentation. We look forward to lots of excitement on this account,” said JWT general manager and senior VP Tarun Rai.
“This was one pitch where the agency and the client minds matched one hundred percent. Many of our recommendations were also based on our proprietary framework Passion Group Marketing. We believe this year will be to Kids’ channels what last year was to News. Hungama TV has all the right ingredients and the roadmap to emerge as the leader in this segment. Naturally, we are happy to be part of the action,” Starcom MD West and South Ravi Kiran.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com about what gave them an edge over Mediacom who was also involved in the pitch, Kiran said, “We gathered child related insights from eight to ten markets around the world and found out how children consume and look at media. And our presentation was based on that. I think that’s what gave us the advantage.”
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
