MAM
Non-metro markets to propel India’s recovery: EY
NEW DELHI: In the face of unprecedented economic disruption caused by the COVID2019 pandemic, non-metro markets are likely to recover faster than metro markets, an EY survey found.
The EY report ‘Will non-metro markets propel India's recovery’, revealed a higher percentage of respondents from non-metro markets expect to spend more than before on several categories compared to metro markets indicating that when the lockdown ends, green shoots of recovery would probably sprout faster from the non-metro markets.
The survey covered a varied demographic mix of more than 4,000 respondents (2,000 each from metro and non-metro markets) to understand the potential impact of the pandemic from the consumer sentiment perspective. It covered key aspects linked to the current and expected attitudes, behaviors and spending trends of consumers as they adapt to the new reality.
EY India partner and media & entertainment leader Ashish Pherwani said, “The COVID2019 pandemic has radically shifted our way of life. However, despite uncertain and challenging conditions, our research shows that non-metros express a higher degree of resiliency and a resolve to bounce back quicker compared to metros. We may see long-term and even permanent changes in consumption patterns”.
The survey results reveal that the pandemic and the ensuing social distancing measures put in place have led to fundamental changes in how Indians are consuming media, necessities, luxury products education and travel.
Some of the key insights from the survey are:
Health, hygiene and online services will continue to grow
While COVID2019 has impacted overall consumption, categories like heath products, household products, hygiene products, vitamins and supplements and online services (gaming, home entertainment, online education, online banking) are expected to benefit.
Non-metro market recovery is excepted to be faster than metro recovery
Categories like consumer goods, travel, entertainment, automobiles and white goods are all expected to see increased and faster recovery of demand from non-metro markets post the lockdowns.
Increase in digital adoption
Digital trials increased significantly during the lockdown period. However adoption was higher for metros vis-à-vis non-metros. Some of the obstacles stated by non-metro respondents included lack of technological knowledge, absence of smart phones and fewer language interfaces.
Newspapers remain the most trusted medium
The impact of the SarsCoV2 has unfolded at a dynamic rate, causing a sense of urgency to absorb information, increasing the consumption of news coverage at unprecedented levels. Newspapers continue to remain the most trusted news source. 42 per cent respondents in non-metro markets spend more than 20 mins in reading a newspaper compared to 36 per cent in metros.
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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.
