‘Take A Hike’, Government Tells Media, As It Increases Advertisement Rates For Private TV Channels By 11 Per Cent

Weeks after hiking advertisement rates for print media by 25 per cent, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has decided to revise the advertisement rates for private TV channels, the Television Post reports.

The new rates announced are based on the report submitted by the Review Committee of the ministry on 1 January 2019. The revision means rates will be increased by 11 per cent over the prices offered to private TV channels by the Bureau of Outreach and Communication (BOC) in 2017. BOC was formerly known as the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP).

The rate structures for news and non-news channels depend on their overall reach in the country. The revision makes it easier for TV channels to enrol with the BOC and take advantage of the higher rates. The change is based on the recommendations of the Eighth Rate Structure Committee of the MIB.

The government, in the ongoing fiscal until 7 December 2018, had spent Rs 244.32 crore on print and Rs 229.25 crore on audio-visual media, totalling Rs 527.96 crore. Further, the government also spent Rs 208.55 crore on outdoor publicity.