The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has approved a 26 per cent increase in the rates paid for advertisements placed in print media. As per the new structure, the rate per sq. cm of black-and-white ad for one lakh copies will be Rs. 59.68 (Rs. 47.40 earlier).
The new rates were arrived at by the Ninth Rate Structure Committee under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser (I&B), which was constituted on November 11, 2021.
The Committee, during its proceedings between November 2021 and August 2023, considered the representations from various newspaper associations of small, medium, and big category newspapers — Indian Newspaper Society, All India Small Newspapers Association, Small-Medium-Big Newspapers Society, and other stakeholders.
The Committee submitted its recommendations on September 23, 2023. The outgoing rates were recommended by the Eighth Rate Structure Committee on January 9, 2019.
“The government has also agreed to the recommendations of the Committee relating to premium rates to be offered for colour advertisements, preferential positioning,” The Hindu quoted the Ministry as saying.
The new rates will be applicable to ads placed by the Ministry’s Central Bureau of Communication, the nodal media unit for publicity campaigns of various Ministries and Departments of the Union government.
The Ministry said raising advertisement rates for print media would offer crucial revenue support at a time of rising costs and growing competition from other platforms. The revised rates would help sustain operations, uphold quality journalism.