MAM
Juggernaut Productions inks content licensing deal with The Story Ink
MUMBAI: Juggernaut Productions, the platform-agnostic content creation studio providing an end-to-end solution by IN10 Media Network, today announced a significant content licensing deal with The Story Ink, India's largest story company and also the leader in book-to-screen-content solutions. The production house has acquired the official screen adaptation rights of Jay Alani and Neil D’Silva’s Haunted to create yet another edgy series.
One of the most popular titles in non-fiction horror genre, Haunted chronicles the real-life adventures of paranormal investigator Jay Alani in ten of the spookiest locations in India. Co-authored by Neil D'Silva, these exploits provide a ringside view of these hair-raising paranormal journeys for everyone interested in exploring the dark side of the normal. Over 1000 copies have been sold since the book was released in November 2019.
Commenting on the acquisition of screen rights of Haunted, Samar Khan – COO, (OTT), Juggernaut Productions, said: “With the arrival of digital platforms the scope for differentiated stories has quadrupled. For a 360-degree content creation hub, this is a great opportunity allowing us to work on a variety of tales across genres, including supernatural stories from Haunted. We look forward to start working on the onscreen adaptation and hope that the retelling will be as gripping and exciting as the book.”
On the association with Juggernaut Productions, Sidharth Jain, Founder, Producer and Chief Storyteller, The Story Ink, said: “Juggernaut Productions was my first choice as a producer for Haunted and I am confident that Samar and team will do a terrific job to scare the audience with these real experiences."
Paranormal Investigator Jay Alani, who recounts his real-life experiences in Haunted, said: "Haunted is not just a book; it's a journey, a journey that depicts the reality of the paranormal as seen by me, which made me realize that the scariest entity on this planet are humans, not ghosts. As a paranormal investigator, it has been a tough journey for me. I have been bitten by snakes, attacked by wolves, survived on leaves and the most impure water. This was all to discover the reality of this dark world which has been expressed beautifully by Neil D'Silva in Haunted. I am sure Mr Khan and his team at Juggernaut will do great justice to its screen adaptation."
A bestselling author, Neil D’Silva, known for his horror novels Maya's New Husband, Yakshini and Haunted said: "The stories of Jay's paranormal investigations in the most haunted locations of India as written by me are both shocking and educational at the same time. While they cater to the sensibilities of horror fans, they also show us a grim reality of the other side that is not often showcased. I am glad that Haunted will have a screen version with Juggernaut Productions, for now this gritty truth of Indian horror will reach out to many”.
AD Agencies
Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
