MAM
Promax India 2023 showcases innovation and insight
Mumbai: The realm of entertainment has been making waves all over the world with its extraordinary content creations. Recognising the most trailblazing ideas, the Promax Awards stands as the country’s premier celebration of outstanding achievements in the M&E industry. Promax India will mark the pinnacle of success for leading brands in entertainment marketing and design as it hosts its latest edition on 24 & 25 August in Mumbai. The Promax India Awards 2023 will continue the tradition of honouring leading brands across 60 categories for their innovation and foresight, including the ‘Arnab Chaudhuri Rocket Award’ in memory of the animation legend and promo genius, Arnab Chaudhari, director of India’s most iconic animated feature, Arjun the Warrior Prince. This award not only recognises rising stars in the world of promotions but also comes with prizes totalling Rs 1.6 lakh, proudly sponsored by TRZY.
Promax India goes beyond celebrating the best creative brands in entertainment, marketing, promotion, and design. It also provides a platform for industry professionals to gain valuable insights and skills. The two-day event features prominent speakers who will ignite valuable conversations on the challenges faced in the M&E industry and how to stay ahead of the game.
Newly introduced this year, the Senior Leadership Luncheon, an exclusive event open only to upper management, will be held on 24 August at The Club Mumbai. This full-day event features three industry experts, Lee Hunt, David Shing, and Prasoon Pandey who will share their insights on the latest industry trends, fostering stimulating conversations and the exchange of ideas among attendees. Simultaneously is the creative boot camp, titled “The Anatomy of a Clip-Based Promo”, at Atlas SkillTech University. Helmed by Vikki Stephenson, a senior creative consultant with 20 years of experience in creating award-winning campaigns for renowned brands, this boot camp is open to all professionals aiming to elevate their creative bar and produce world-class promos.
The conference and awards show will be held on 25 August at the Radisson Hotel Goregaon. The conference features the highly anticipated session, ‘New Best Practices 2023’ by Lee Hunt, which analyses how the industry continues to be reshaped by the competition between linear and streaming platforms. The Digital Prophet, David Shing, will enlighten us on the impact as we rapidly and extensively connect to the digital world. India’s very own visionary, Tamagna Ghosh, will curate and showcase the best of the best design and promotion from across the globe in another popular session, WORLD GOLD. Returning to this year’s Promax India Awards Show are the dynamic duo from RED FM, RJ Rocky and RJ Purab, who will host the event.
Promax India extends its heartfelt appreciation to its sponsor, Zee Bangla, for their valuable support. Their partnership has been instrumental in the success of Promax India.
Commenting on the occasion, Andy Chua, Conference Director of Promax India, said, “The Promax India Awards 2023 is where we recognise and celebrate the remarkable achievements of the Indian M&E industry. For over two decades, we have witnessed the industry’s incredible growth and innovation. So must we in Promax India to continue to evolve and meet the needs of the community we serve. We look forward to welcoming you all to an improved and extraordinary event filled with inspiration and insights to meet the challenges ahead.”
Promax India 2023 awards chair & head of India Originals, Prime Video India Aparna Purohit said, “To celebrate stories that intrigue, engage, inspire, and help build not just the brands but also contribute towards the cultural zeitgeist of our times is indeed a huge honour. Promax Awards commemorate the rich and diverse creative excellence by recognizing the minds behind some of the most spectacular brand and marketing campaigns. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to go through some of the finest creative work from India, and award them for their contribution to the world of entertainment.”
“The Promax Awards are enriching because exchanging ideas multiplies them, and that is how culture is nourished”, said Corcoise Films director Prasoon Pandey.
“The Promax Awards celebrate the power of creativity in the realm of entertainment and content marketing. It’s a testament to the industry’s ability to captivate and engage audiences through innovative campaigns that leave a lasting impact. These awards recognize the brilliance that fuels the magic of storytelling” said Trailer Park Group managing director APAC Tamagna Ghosh.
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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.
