MUMBAI: Just a few weeks ahead of election date announcements, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has taken a decision to revise the advertisement rates offered by the Bureau of Outreach and Communication (BOC) to private TV channels.

The ministry noted in a statement, “The revised rates have been announced on the basis of a review committee constituted by the ministry which submitted its report on 1 January 2019.”

“The revision would lead to an increase in rates of around 11 per cent over the rates of 2017 in respect of most of the private TV channels while it could be of a higher percentage for some others, as per their reach and TV ratings.”

The ministry also announced that differential rate structures for news and non-news channels will be offered, depending upon their overall reach in the country. “The decision will also make it easier for TV channels to be empanelled with BOC in order to take advantage of the higher rates,” it noted.