MAM
Maruti Suzuki Arena Devils Circuit’s eighth Mumbai edition ends on a high note
Mumbai: The eighth Mumbai edition of the Maruti Suzuki Arena Devils Circuit concluded with remarkable success. Held in Mumbai on 20 October, 2024, the event saw participants from diverse backgrounds come together to join the challenging obstacle course, designed to test their physical and mental stamina. With a focus on promoting fitness, community, and the spirit of adventure, this edition lived up to the excitement that the Maruti Suzuki Arena Devils Circuit has been known for across the country.
The event kicked off with participants arriving early and soon the atmosphere was charged with warm up sessions and activities began on the main stage, engaging the crowd and getting them prepped for the challenges ahead. The first wave of competitive runners hit the circuit, with subsequent waves released every 20 minutes. The action-packed schedule ensured a seamless flow of participants throughout the morning, with competitors tackling a series of unique and demanding obstacles designed to push them to their limits.
The prize ceremony was graced by Maruti Suzuki India Ltd zonal sales head west Arun Bhati, who gave away the prizes to top athletes who completed the course and the obstacles in the quickest time. The top winners were Vikram Sagar in the male category; and, Zahabiya Merchant in the female category who secured the top spot with a finish time of 42 mins 11 secs, & 48 mins 7 secs respectively. Even as the final wave of participants began their challenge, the energy at the venue remained vibrant. Participants had to complete the circuit, and as participants crossed the finish line, they gathered at the bustling Expo Area, where an after-party offered a chance to unwind. The Expo featured food, entertainment, and interactive zones, including the majestic One Tribe One Drive zone put up by Maruti Suzuki Swift, as well as the interactive Jockey zone. Amongst other partners that offered engagement were Red Bull, Bisleri, as well as Volini who had created a recovery zone.
Devils Circuit co-founder Adnan Adeeb added his thoughts on the event, “This year’s Mumbai edition of the Maruti Suzuki Arena Devils Circuit has truly exceeded expectations. It’s an example of the enduring legacy of this event and how it’s reaching out to more people year after year. From its inception as a unique racing format, the event has built a benchmark in the space of disruptive sporting events with this edition witnessing the biggest participation the city has seen so far. . With more people connecting and the wave of adventure & sports penetrating deeper into society, we aim to keep innovating, expanding, and taking the spirit of competitiveness and self-improvement to the masses.”
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.
