MAM
Hungama’s Heftyverse and Bhamla Foundation launch Ecotainment initiative
Mumbai: Heftyverse, an innovative Metaverse initiative by Hungama Digital Media, joins hands with Bhamla Foundation to introduce Ecotainment, a groundbreaking sustainability initiative within the Heftyverse universe. This collaboration marks a significant step towards merging entertainment with environmental conservation, reinforcing our commitment to creating a greener, more sustainable future.
The ‘Ecotainment’ initiative is a pioneering project by Hungama within the Heftyverse platform, where users can participate in environmental conservation efforts while enjoying immersive entertainment experiences. The initiative revolves around the concept of “Digital Trees,” wherein real trees are planted for users who purchase tickets for events presented by or partnered with Hungama. Each real-world tree sprouts a digital twin within the Heftyverse, allowing users to adopt, nurture, and interact with their virtual saplings in a vibrant digital ecosystem.
Expressing his excitement about the pioneering initiative, Hungama Digital Media Founder and MD Neeraj Roy said, “At Hungama, we believe in the power of entertainment to inspire positive change. With Ecotainment, we’re taking this belief to the next level by seamlessly integrating environmental sustainability into our platform. It’s not just about entertaining our users; it’s about empowering them to make a tangible difference in the world. Teaming up with Bhamla Foundation for this pioneering initiative marks a significant milestone for Heftyverse and Hungama Digital Entertainment.”
Bhamla Foundation founder Asif Bhamla said, “We are delighted to join hands with Hungama’s Heftyverse for the Ecotainment initiative. By combining entertainment with environmental consciousness, we can reach and engage millions of people in the fight against climate change. Together, we can make a real impact and create a healthier planet for future generations.”
With the launch of Ecotainment, Hungama’s Heftyverse aims to inspire millions of users to become active participants in environmental conservation. For more information about Ecotainment and how to get involved, please visit Heftyverse.
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.
