Centre set to hike government print ad rates by 26%

New Delhi: The Centre is preparing to announce a 26% increase in advertisement rates for print media, in what will be the first major upward revision in government print ad rates since 2019, according to sources in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. 

The move is expected to be notified after the Bihar Assembly election model code of conduct is lifted next month. 

The revised rates will apply to government advertising released to newspapers through the Central Bureau of Communication. 

Officials said the decision is intended to support the print industry at a time of pressure on circulation and advertising, and to prevent further job losses in legacy newsrooms.

One senior official said the rate exercise is meant to give relief in particular to small and medium publications, which have been seeking a revision since 2022, as state and central government print business remains a key revenue line for them outside festive and election-led private ad spends.

Government print ad rates were last revised in January 2019, when the I&B Ministry cleared a 25% hike over the prevailing rate card issued by the then Bureau of Outreach and Communication. Before that, the previous increase was in 2013, when rates were raised 19% over 2010 levels. 

At the time, the ministry said the calculations took into account higher newsprint costs and processing charges and were aimed at sustaining, especially the regional and vernacular press. 

A Rate Structure Committee was set up in November 2021 to examine a fresh revision after the three-year validity of the 2019 rates expired, but the review has remained pending through multiple rounds of recommendations. 

Industry bodies, including the Indian Newspaper Society, have been pressing for a hike, arguing that print has faced both input cost inflation and a sustained shift of ad revenue to digital platforms.

Alongside the planned print revision, the ministry is also expected to review government advertisement rates for television separately. 

In parallel, the I&B Ministry is moving on other media policy changes. Union I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said over the weekend that the ministry has completed an initial round of consultations on new television rating point (TRP) guidelines and that more rounds of consultation may follow.

The ministry is also working on institutional changes, including integrating the Registrar of Newspapers for India, the Press Information Bureau and the Central Bureau of Communication to tighten coordination of outreach and regulatory functions for conventional media.