MAM
“Our effort has been to get everyone involved”: Srinivasan Swamy
MUMBAI: With big names dropped out, entry numbers has changed the shape of the event, which is now set to go indoors. The much talked about ninth edition of Goafest is expected to have a low turnout. While much is talked about this, here is a look at what the managing committee has to say.
In conversation with indiantelevision.com Goafest Organising Committee chairman Srinivasan Swamy, speaks at length about entry numbers, what to expect from the event this year and much more…
What are efforts being taking from the Goafest committee for those who are not participating in the fest this year?
Goafest is an industry initiative. It is not a private enterprise. So we want all members of the industry to be a part of it. While some of them have not sent their entries for the awards this year, they are all expected to be part of the event. Our effort has been on to get everyone involved.
Considering that Cannes Lions will follow Goafest, do you think agencies are therefore giving Goafest a miss to focus more on much prestigious global event?
Cannes is two weeks away. While a few people go to Cannes, many come to Goa.
How are you planning to promote the fest this year?
Our promotion has started by emailers. All web media is supporting us by sending these mailers out.
How has the response from SAARC region been this year?
We don’t expect entries or delegates in hundreds. We will have the same number as we had in the past, which is on expected lines.
Do you think shifting the dates of the event has affected the participation?
It does appear so. Some of the people will be out on family holidays. And some speakers find this too close to Cannes and therefore can’t travel to India and later to France. But overall, the plusses and minuses always even out. The inconvenience of having this clash with the general elections was the major concern.
While a few big creative agencies have opted out of the fest, we have understood that digital agencies are really looking forward to it this year. Could you give us an idea about the entry numbers?
We have decent level of participation from digital agencies, about 400. This also tells you about the raise of the importance of this medium.
How has the response been for the new categories that were introduced this year?
I would say these are very good. We should close these with about 200 in number.
What are five things that agencies and delegates can expect from Goafest 2014?
To my mind the five things are:
- Goafest is a nice platform for delegates to network and have a great time.
- There will be something for everyone at Goafest. While some can enjoy the knowledge seminars, advertising conclave or the leadership summit, a few can enjoy the fun activities like aqua zorbing, foam and rain dance etc or take part in beach sports competitions. Participants can also come to just party and dance till late into the night. While seniors can meet at comfort in the CEO lounge and see what should be done for the industry or in which direction it should go.
- The display zones where the shortlisted work can be reviewed, will be quite engaging for those interested in awards and what could win.
- The opening and closing ceremonies and the award nights will be entertaining as well as celebratory in nature.
- Opportunities to learn many new things through various eclectic lectures and at kiosks things that will surprise the regulars to Goafest.
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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.
