Centre Approves Digital Advertisement Policy 2023 (Image: Unsplash)
The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting approved the Digital Advertisement Policy, 2023. It will enable and empower the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) to undertake campaigns in the digital media space.
The Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), which was earlier known as the Bureau of Outreach and Communication (BOC), is an advisory body on media strategy under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B). This significant policy will permit the Central Bureau of Communication to disseminate information and create awareness regarding various schemes, programs, and policies of the Government of India in response to the evolving media landscape.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement that the Digital Advertisement Policy will enable CBC to empanel agencies and organisations in the OTT and Video on Demand spaces. The advisory body will also be able to leverage the rising number of listeners to podcasts and digital audio platforms through the empanelment of digital audio platforms. “With Social Media Platforms becoming one of the popular channels of public conversations, the policy further streamlines the process through which CBC can place advertisements for government clients on these platforms,” added the ministry in its statement.
With the help of the new policy, CBC will be able to channelize its public service campaign messages through mobile applications for the first time. For the empanelment with the CBC, mobile applications and websites have been divided into four categories: more than 20 million unique users (A+), between 10 and 20 million unique users (A), 5–10 million unique users (B), and 0.25–5 million unique users (C). OTT platforms have also been divided into two categories. The policy also unveils competitive bidding for rate discovery, ensuring transparency. Rates discovered through this process will be valid for three years and it will be applicable to all eligible agencies.
