Print advertisements.
Credit: iStock photo
New Delhi: Rates of advertisements released by the government to print media have been increased by 26%, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said on Monday.
It is also introducing premium rates for colour advertisements based on preferential positioning.
In a statement, the Ministry said the media rates for print media per sq cm for one lakh copies of dailies in the black and white advertisement have been enhanced from Rs 47.40 to Rs 59.68.
The rates were last revised by the Ministry on the basis of the recommendations of the 8th Rate Structure Committee on 9 January, 2019 for a period of three years.
The ninth Rate Structure Committee was constituted on 11 November, 2021 for making recommendations regarding revision in rates for government advertisements in print media.
During its proceedings in November 2021 and August 2023, the committee considered the representations from various newspaper associations, including Indian Newspaper Society (INS), All India Small Newspapers Association (AISNA) and Small-Medium-Big Newspapers Society (SMBNS).
The Committee deliberated on the various parameters having an impact on the rates of advertisements in print media, such as Wholesale Price Index (WP) inflation in respect of newsprint, wage, rate of inflation, trend of imported newsprint prices and processing cost among others. The committee submitted its recommendations on 23 September, 2023.
The Ministry said increasing the rates for advertisements would yield several significant benefits, both for the government and the media landscape.
“Higher rates for government advertisements will provide essential revenue support to print media, especially in an era of competition from various other media platforms and in view of the escalation in cost in the last few years,” the statement said.
It said this can help “sustain operations, maintain quality journalism, and support local news initiatives” and by boosting financial stability, print media can invest in better content, thereby serving the public interest more effectively.
The upward revision in advertisement rates can align with broader trends in media consumption. By recognizing the value of print media in a diversified media ecosystem, the Government can better target its communications strategies, ensuring that they reach citizens effectively across various platforms, it added.