Govt Spent Rs.118.48Cr In 2021-22

The Bureau of Outreach & Communication (BOC), erstwhile Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), has spent Rs 118.48 crore on Print, TV and Radio platforms in 2021-22 till February 10, shows data provided by I&B Minister Anurag Singh Thakur.

A closer look at the BOC spending reveals that in 2021-22 it has spent Rs 96.39 crore on 5,608 publications, Rs 8.13 crore on 168 TV channels, and Rs 13.96 crore on 368 radio stations.

Set up on December 8, 2017, by integrating the erstwhile DAVP, Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP) and Song & Drama Division (S&DD), the BOC aims to provide a 360-degree communication solution to the Ministries/Departments/ Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs)/autonomous bodies. It acts as an advisory body to the government on media strategy.

Comparatively, the total government advertisement spends by the BOC on the three mediums stood at Rs 329.38 crore in 2020-21. This included Rs 197.49 crore on 5,211 publications, Rs 69.81 crore on 317 TV channels, and Rs 62.08 crore on 378 radio stations.

In 2019-20, the ad spends totalled Rs 452.03 crore with Rs 295.05 crore being spent on 5,326 publications, Rs 98.69 crore on 270 TV channels, and Rs 58.29 crore on 350 radio stations. Interestingly, during FY 2018-19, the BOC spent a whopping Rs 772.77 crore - Rs 429.55 crore on 5,631 publications, Rs 149.96 crore on 298 TV channels, and Rs 193.26 crore on 325 radio stations.

Going back to 2017-18, the government's total ad spends stood at Rs 922.12 crore. This included Rs 636.09 crore on 6,782 publications, Rs 153.02 crore on 265 TV channels, and Rs 133.01 crore on 273 radio stations.

Therefore, in the last five years, the BOC has spent Rs 1654.57 crore on publications, followed by Rs 479.61 crore on TV channels and Rs 460.6 crore on radio. Together it stands at Rs 2,594.78 crore – BOC’s advertising expenditure from 2017 to 2022.

It is also to be noted that since 2017-18, BOC has spent Rs 7.20 crore for advertising on social media.