MAM
Sun TV to hike ad rates of Telugu channels from 1 April
MUMBAI: Soon after the announcement of an ad hike for the Tamil channels, Kalanithi Maran-promoted Sun TV Network said Monday it has decided to up the rates for its Telugu channels effective 1 April.
For its flagship Telugu channel Gemini TV, the media conglomerate has decided to increase the rates from six to 13 per cent.
The ad rates for the other Telugu channels – Gemini Movies, Gemini Music, Gemini News, Gemini Comedy and Kushi – will be increased from nine to 43 per cent.
The slot fees (broadcast fees) received from the content producer will also be increased accordingly.
Recently, Sun TV announced the hike in ad rates for its Tamil channels – Sun TV, KTV, Sun Music, Sun News, Chutti and Adhitya.
The network will also announce ad rate hike across the other two South markets – Kannada and Malayalam.
The overall effective ad rate hike across the four markets would be in the region of 13-15 per cent, according to market estimates.
Sun had last revised its ad rates across its channels between 10-33 per cent from January 2010. This resulted in an effective hike of 13 per cent, according to market estimates.
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.
