MAM
Disney+ Hotstar unveils ‘Bas Aao #FreeMeinDekhteJaao’ campaign
Mumbai: The much-awaited Asia Cup 2023 is around the corner and to amp up the excitement, Disney+ Hotstar has unveiled its campaign ‘Bas Aao. #FreeMeinDekhteJao’, focusing on its proposition of ‘FREE on mobile’. The platform has lifted its paywall for mobile and tablet only viewers for both Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup this year to further democratise the game of cricket. Starting 30 August, the Asia Cup brings some of the biggest cricket rivalries at the forefront with teams going head-to-head to win the coveted trophy. Cricket lovers can watch all the matches from 3:00 PM (IST) LIVE & Exclusive on Disney+ Hotstar and Star Sports Network.
Disney+ Hotstar’s new campaign for the Asia Cup 2023 takes a light-hearted and funny twist on the audience’s urge to catch the action packed matches anywhere – anytime on their mobile devices. Conceptualised by Tanmay Bhat, Deviah Bopanna and team Moonshot, the platform released a film that showcases the intensity of India’s love for cricket. The ad film is directed by Kishore Iyer.
Speaking about the campaign, a Disney+ Hotstar spokesperson said, “Cricket holds a special place in the hearts of Indians, and we want to make this sport even more accessible to our users. By offering the opportunity to watch the Asia Cup and the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 for free on mobiles, we are geared up to take cricket to every corner of the country and tap into digital-first audiences. The campaign film too reflects the same ethos, bringing to light the lengths we Indians go to follow cricket, along with Disney+ Hotstar’s commitment to delivering a top-notch and convenient viewing experience.”
Adding to the thrill and fervor, the anticipated comebacks of big players such as KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shreyas Iyer to the Asia Cup will add a dynamic edge to the matches, making the tournament even more enthralling for fans. Starting 30 August, the tournament, co-hosted by Sri Lanka and Pakistan, will feature a total of six teams – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal – battling it out for the winning spot. The Group Stage of the tournament will be played from 30 August to 5 September, with India and Pakistan going head-to-head on 2 September. The next stage will be played from 6th September to 15 September, and the final match is scheduled for 17 September.
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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.
