The government’s role in communication and broadcasting is fast evolving to meet the demands of a rapidly changing digital landscape. Presently, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has given its nod for the newly formed Digital Advertisement Policy, 2023. This policy’s main objective is to enable and fortify the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) to facilitate campaigns in the Digital Media sphere.
The CBC, operational under the supervision of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, takes on its significant role in creating awareness and scattering information about several government programs, plans, and policies across the country. Devoted to adjusting to the altering media expanse and adopting innovative technologies, CBC strives to reach out to a broader spectator base.
Key Policies outlined under the Digital Advertisement Policy, 2023
The new election focuses on broadening the CBC’s reach on various digital avenues. Social media, Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms, digital audio platforms, mobile applications, and websites will now come under the advertising umbrella of the CBC. However, these platforms need to be at least a year old to qualify under this scheme.
A new regulation for determining the advertisement rates focuses on linking these with the subscriber base and viewership statistics and using competitive bidding for accuracy and clarity. The rates discovered through this process will hold good for three years. OTT platforms now have an expanded role to play, as they can take up activities such as in-film advertisements, promotions, or branding activities as per CBC’s Letter of Intent.
The CBC typically allocates about 2% of the total outlay of government schemes for conducting publicity and outreach activities, which is used for running ads and campaigns.
The Impact and Significance of the Digital Advertisement Policy, 2023
The Digital Advertisement Policy, 2023, marks a significant step in CBC’s mission to disperse information and increase awareness regarding various government actions, programs, and policies. It comes as a response to the evolving media landscape and the rising trend of media consumption going digital.
The massive subscriber base in the Digital Universe coupled with tech-enabled messaging options through Digital advertisements are expected to aid effective delivery of citizen-centric messages in a targeted manner. This approach is likely to result in cost efficiencies in public-oriented campaigns.
The last few years have seen a notable shift in how audiences consume media – the pendulum has swung massively towards the digital space. The Government of India’s Digital India program has led to a drastic surge in the number of people connected to the internet and social as well as digital media platforms in the country.
As per the records of TRAI’s Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators for January–March 2023, the internet penetration As of March 2023, stood at over 880 million. Additionally, the telecom subscriber base breached the mark of 1172 million during the same period. With these statistics, India is undoubtedly ready to embrace the digital media revolution, and the new Digital Advertisement Policy seems to have arrived just in time!
