After Bihar Elections, Government To Hike Print Advertisement Rates By 27%

In a major development for India's print media sector, the government is set to revise advertisement rates for print media by 27 per cent after the Bihar Assembly Elections. The announcement was made by a Union Information and Broadcasting official, who said the move is part of the government's efforts to strengthen the livelihood of media professionals and support conventional media platforms.

"There are a lot of changes taking place in conventional media. To protect livelihoods and encourage growth, we are introducing reforms across print, television, and the film sector. After the end of the Model Code of Conduct in Bihar, we will notify a 27 per cent increase in print media advertisement rates," the official said.

This will be the first rate revision in six years. The last hike was 25 per cent in January 2019, while before that, rates were revised in 2013 with a 19 per cent increase over the 2010 structure.

The latest revision is expected to particularly benefit small and medium newspapers, including a large number of regional and vernacular publications, which rely heavily on government advertisements for revenue.

TV Advertisement and TRP Reforms Next

The government is also working on revising advertisement rates for television media, with a new set of packages being planned. Alongside this, the Ministry is moving ahead with reforms in the television rating system, which determines how advertising revenues are distributed across broadcasters.

The official said that the second consultation paper on the TV rating system will soon be released for public feedback. Earlier this year, in July 2025, the Ministry issued the first consultation paper proposing amendments to the 2014 Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies.

The proposed changes aim to open up the TRP ecosystem to multiple rating agencies, ending the monopoly of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). By doing so, the government seeks to foster healthy competition, introduce new technologies, and create a more transparent and reliable audience measurement framework, especially for connected TV platforms.

The reforms are also intended to ensure that audience data better represents India's diverse and evolving viewing habits, spanning across urban and rural audiences, languages, and digital mediums. The Ministry has invited feedback from stakeholders and the general public within 30 days of issuing the draft.

The twin policy initiatives, rate hikes for print and modernisation of TV ratings, signal a comprehensive push to revive India's traditional media industry, which has faced revenue pressures amid digital disruption and shifting advertising budgets.