MAM
Lionsgate partners Dubai Parks & Resorts for ‘Hunger Games’ theme park attractions
MUMBAI: Continuing its roll-out of location-based entertainment venues around the world, Lionsgate has partnered with Dubai Parks and Resorts to bring a Lionsgate zone to motiongate Dubai, the Hollywood-themed park opening in Dubai in October 2016.
The Lionsgate zone will feature state-of-the-art theme park attractions and a retail facility inspired by Lionsgate’s global blockbuster The Hunger Games franchise. It will also incorporate a live stage show based on Step Up: All In and Step Up: Revolution, the two most recent films in the company’s worldwide Step Up franchise.
“Our franchises are continuing to drive location-based entertainment opportunities around the world. We’re proud to partner with the team at Dubai Parks and Resorts to create a thrilling total entertainment experience designed to attract millions of new fans and continue the global expansion of our brands,” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer.
The four million square foot motiongate Dubai is anticipated to attract over three million visits a year and will take visitors on an immersive cinematic journey through their favorite films via 27 different latest-in-technology rides and attractions.
Dubai Parks and Resorts CEO Raed Al Nuaimi said, “We are thrilled to be working with a Hollywood studio whose creative resources, spirit of innovation and vision of the entertainment experience are so closely aligned with our own. Lionsgate’s Hunger Games, Step Up and other signature properties are the perfect centerpiece for one of the most visionary new theme parks in the world. Through this partnership we are offering even more for the whole family to enjoy on their visit and are confident that motiongate Dubai will set a global benchmark as the ultimate movie themed destination.”
“motiongate Dubai is poised to become one of the most exciting new entertainment destinations in the world, and we’re thrilled that many of our biggest franchises will be an integral part of it. The Lionsgate section of motiongate Dubai is an important milestone in our ongoing commitment to extend the longevity, broaden the global fan base and enrich the vitality of our most exciting entertainment properties it,” said Lionsgate EVP – global franchise management and strategic partnerships Kerry Phelan and SVP – branded attractions Jenefer Brown. “
Alongside motiongate Dubai, Dubai Parks and Resorts will include LEGOLAND Dubai, the first LEGOLAND theme park in the Middle East; and Bollywood Parks Dubai, a first-of-its-kind entertainment destination that will showcase the authentic Bollywood movie experience. These will be connected by Riverland, a retail, dining and entertainment walkway. The development will also feature Lapita, a Polynesian-themed resort catering to families.
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.
