MAM
Online ad spend overtakes print for first time
MUMBAI: In the US, the Internet is vanquishing print. The sale of Businessweek and Newsweek, two mighty magazines, has highlighted the fragile health of print publications as advertisers have shifted monies to the online medium. And now the inevitable has happened.
For the first time marketers have spent more on online advertising than newspapers in the US, according to the New York-based researcher eMarketer. Digital ad spending will finish the year with a rise of 13.9 per cent to reach $25.8 billion. On the other hand, newspaper spending, which includes advertising in print and online editions, will fall to $25.7 billion in 2010, a decline of 6.6 per cent.
Ad spends on newspapers alone will decrease to $22.8 billion. eMarketer predicts that in 2011 this gap will be broadened. According to the forecast, spending on ads in newspapers will fall again to $24.6 billion (including $21.4 billion for print) while online will climb to $28.5 billion. Said CEO of eMarketer Geoff Ramsey, “It‘s something we‘ve seen coming for a long time, but this is a tipping point.” The findings predict the ad spends in newspapers to continue its slide downwards.
The company says that since 2006, spending in print newspapers has been slashed by half. In 2014, the US online ad spending will surpass the $40 billion mark as it continues with its double-digit growth.
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
