AD Agencies
Havas kicks off Q1 2025 with a 2.1 per cent growth spurt
MUMBAI: Havas has announced a solid start to 2025, with organic net revenue growth of 2.1 per cent in the first quarter, aligning with its full-year projections. Reported growth surged to 5.2 per cent, driven by recent acquisitions and favourable currency effects.
Havas CEO & chairman Yannick Bolloré, highlighted the agency’s performance, particularly in North and Latin America. He added: “We continue to focus on the group’s development, through the global roll-out of our “Converged” strategy and operating system – which is powered by the best data, tech and AI – the expansion of our capacity in high-growth sectors, and an unwavering commitment to creative excellence. We are therefore confirming our objectives for 2025, while keeping a close eye on the global geopolitical and economic situation, in order to respond quickly and effectively, supporting our clients and teams in this context. I’d like to thank our clients for their trust, and highlight the dedication of our talented teams worldwide, who are key to our success.”
In Q1, Havas acquired CA Sports in Spain, Channel Bakers in the US, and Don in Argentina, strengthening its presence in sports, e-commerce, and creative sectors.
Europe experienced a slight 0.2 per cent dip, while North America saw a 3.2 per cent increase, led by Havas Health. Latin America delivered a robust 16.6 per cent growth. APAC & Africa continued to post satisfactory organic growth, with net revenue up 1.9 per cent year on year, driven by Havas Media.
Despite economic uncertainties, Havas maintains its 2025 guidance: organic net revenue growth above two per cent, an adjusted EBIT margin between 12.5 and 13.5 per cent, and a dividend payout ratio of approximately 40 per cent. The agency also confirmed its 2028 medium-term financial targets.
Havas agencies continue to receive industry recognition, with Uncommon New York named “Agency of the Year” by Campaign, and Havas Play topping the French agency list in the WARC Media 100 Ranking.
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.
