JAL KHAMBATA
NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Friday released a comprehensive “Digital Advertisement Policy” to pave way for a wideer government outreach in the digital era.
It empowers the Central Bureau of Communication, the advertising wing of the Centre to undertake campaigns in the digital media space, to disseminate information and create awareness regarding various schemes, programmes and policies of the government.
The huge subscriber base in the Digital Universe, coupled with technology enabled messaging options through Digital advertisements will facilitate effective delivery of citizen centric message in a targeted manner, resulting in cost efficiencies in public oriented campaigns. In recent years, the way audiences consume media has witnessed a significant shift towards the digital space.
The Government of India’s Digital India programme has led to a huge growth in the number of people in the country who are now connected to the internet, social and digital media platforms.
As per TRAI’s Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators January–March 2023, the internet penetration in India as of March 2023, is over 880 million, and the number of telecom subscribers as of March 2023 is over 1172 million.
The Policy will enable CBC to empanel agencies and organisations in the OTT and Video on Demand Space. CBC will also be able to leverage the growing number of listeners to Podcasts and Digital Audio platforms through empanelment of Digital Audio platforms. Apart from rationalising its process of empanelling Internet Websites, CBC now for the first time will be able to channelize its public service campaign messages through Mobile Applications too.
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. The policy also empowers CBC to empanel Digital Media Agencies to enhance its outreach through the various platforms.
The Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and is responsible for creating awareness and disseminating information about various government programs, schemes, and policies in India. CBC is committed to adapting to the changing media landscape and embracing new technologies to reach a wider audience.
