MAM
Carat bags Rs 4b business from Advertising Agencies Guild
| MUMBAI: India’s first media independent agency Carat, part of the Rs 450 billion Aegis group, claims to have bagged business worth Rs 4 billion through the AAG (Advertising Agencies Guild).
This is the world’s first such initiative taken by a consortium of agencies by virtue of which the agencies can capitalise on their combined resources to offer clients “world class media planning and buying”.
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AAG, formed in 2002, is an association consisting of mid-evel advertising agencies based in Delhi. It has 29 members with a combined media billing in excess of Rs 4 billion. Members of the Guild include names such as Adknack Advertising, Akshara Advertising, Arihant Advertising, Arms Communications, Bharat Marketing and Advertising, Capital Advertising, Censor Advertising, Centum Advertising and Marketing, Chiranjan Advertising, Crayons Advertising, Crescent Communications, Critique Communication, Foresight Marketing and Communications, Fusion Advertising Service, Glaze Ads, Graphisads, Hakuhodo Percept, Harmilap Advertising, Headstart Advertising, Indus Union, Inter Network Kommunication, Kaps Advertising, Pamm Advertising and Marketing Quantum Communications, Rashtriya Advertising Span Communications, Themes Communications, Ushak Kaal Communications and Young Advertising, amongst others.
Carat Asia Pacific CEO David Liu was quoted in a release as saying, “This win reconfirms the strengths of a media independent to provide customised, unbiased solutions to clients. It’s an exciting win and ‘first of its kind in the world’.” Carat claims to be a key player in the Indian media market handling business worth over Rs 70 billion.
AAG chairman Kunal Lalani was quoted as saying, “We wanted a world class media specialist company — one which is not aligned to any advertising agency and will understand our needs and provide us with special customised solutions. After series of meetings and deliberations we found a perfect partner for this endeavour in Carat.” Lalani said, “It is only apt that Indian entrepreneurs who otherwise compete with each other in the market, have taken such a bold step to consolidate their services.”
The Carat Asia Pacific network is located in 12 countries including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. After just six years in operation, the network has over 600 media professionals and billings in excess of US $1.9 billion. |
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.
