MAM
Juleo-YouGov report: Two in three users never meet matches in person
Mumbai: Juleo in partnership with YouGov, surveyed over 1,000 singles from the top eight Indian cities to understand the current trends in Indian matchmaking. The Juleo-YouGov Indian Matchmaking 2024 Report reveals key insights on the challenges singles face, including the lack of in-person meetings, safety concerns, and the mental health impact of using dating and matrimony apps.
The report shows that two out of three individuals who use dating or matrimony apps and websites have never met their matches in person, indicating a lack of real-life connections. Common reasons include the inability to find suitable profiles and ghosting.
An alarming 78 per cent of female respondents reported encountering fake profiles on these platforms. Women express a strong desire for better privacy controls, with 74 per cent of all respondents stating that their profiles should only be visible to those they choose. Additionally, 82 per cent of women believe government ID verification is necessary for dating or matrimonial platforms, emphasising the need for safety measures.
The report also highlights the emotional and psychological toll of online matchmaking. Nearly half of all respondents experience mental health challenges from using these platforms. The pressure to make a great first impression is significant, with 62 per cent feeling stressed to maintain witty conversations. Furthermore, three out of four women feel overwhelmed by their experiences on dating or matrimony apps. The endless swiping feature adds to their woes, with 70 per cent finding it futile.
Clinical psychologist & TEDx speaker, Kamna Chhibber commented, “Relationships are challenging in modern times. The availability of too many choices and options can become a deterrent in building significant partnerships. Additionally, safety can get compromised as individuals seek to contact and meet more people. Building mechanisms for exploring relationships in a manner that is safe and which protects them – physically, emotionally and psychologically – is critical.”
Juleo’s founder-CEO, Varun Sud said, “The report shares the deep pain faced by the youth today in pursuit of love. Face-to-face conversations and in-person meetings form the core foundation of genuine relationships. Milne se hi baat banti hai. We have hence started a global movement through Juleo to change how singles find love in a safe, trustworthy and responsible manner.”
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.
