MAM
‘Mumbai Festival 2024’ is gearing up to be a celebration of unity, culture
Mumbai: The much-anticipated ‘Mumbai Festival 2024’ is gearing up to celebrate unity, culture, and diversity with the strategic collaborations of two prestigious events – the Mumbai Marathon and Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. The directorate of tourism, Government of Maharashtra, proudly announce these partnerships, elevating the festival to new heights and ensuring a cultural extravaganza like never before.
The Mumbai Festival also welcomed Happy Streets; Yoga By The Bay; and Aarogyam Kidzathon onboard which are set to be integral parts of the festival as collaborative events. Besides this, one of the partners will be co – curating an exhibition on the memories of Mumbai seen through the lens of photographers over the years.
The Mumbai Festival 2024, scheduled from January 20 to 28 January 2024, is set to captivate the heart of Mumbai with a blend of festivities by strategic partnerships with the Mumbai Marathon and Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. These collaborations bring together the spirit of athleticism and the vibrancy of the arts, promising a good experience for Mumbaikars and visitors alike. Department of tourism has entrusted Wizcraft Entertainment Agency pvt ltd. to conceptualise and manage the Mumbai festival.
Speaking on this occasion, Government of Maharashtra, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism Shri Girish Mahajan said, “Mumbai Festival 2024 is being organised by the Government of Maharashtra, to celebrate different facets of Mumbai. The festival brings together a set of experiences and initiatives that highlight the Mumbaikars’ spirit and the city’s rich historical and cultural heritage.”
“The festival aims to boost tourism, cultivate development and inclusiveness, and discover new opportunities and avenues in the industry. Mumbai Festival 2024 isn’t just an event; it’s a transformative experience, poised to be one of the biggest annual festivals that India has ever witnessed. We urge everyone to join as this festival is a tribute to Mumbai capturing the essence of Mumbaikars’ indomitable spirit, delving into its rich historical heritage and embraces every facet that defines this dynamic city”, He added.
Mumbai Festival Advisory Committee chairperson Anand Mahindra highlighted, “Mumbai Festival 2024 is envisaged to be an extravagant festivity that emphasises immersive experiences, highlights the essence of Mumbai, and will bring people together, as our theme rightly highlights ‘Everyone’s Invited.’ Through the Mumbai Festival, everyone will witness the unique celebration through multiple events amalgamating art, culture, sports, fashion, and more. This festival isn’t just an event; it promises unparalleled joy, making it the pinnacle of festivities for all revelers in attendance.”
As a cornerstone of fitness and community engagement, the Mumbai Marathon perfectly aligns with the theme of ‘Everyone’s Invited’ at the Mumbai Festival 2024. A synonymous name in Mumbai’s cultural landscape, the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival will contribute its artistic charm to the Mumbai Festival 2024.
In addition to the Mumbai Marathon and Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, the Mumbai Festival 2024 features an array of activities including cultural events, a Music Fest, Maha Mumbai Expo, Cinema and Beach Fests, a Movie competition, Cricket Clinic, Start-up fest, and more. Distinctive collaborations like “Mumbai Walks” and the SHOP & WIN Festival add unique elements, honouring Mumbai’s unsung heroes and offering exciting prizes.
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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.
