Major Changes in Tripura Advertisement Policy: Maximum Circulation, Website Visitors and TV Channel Coverage to Determine Media Categories
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, October 9, 2026
The Tripura Government has introduced significant changes to its government advertisement policy, revising the criteria for categorising print media, electronic media and digital news websites.
The Tripura Advertisement (2nd Amendment) Policy, 2026, published in an Extraordinary issue of the Tripura Gazette on Friday, October 9, introduces separate benchmarks for Large, Medium and Small media houses based on publication history, newspaper circulation, geographical coverage, staffing, daily news output and average website visitors.
The amended policy is expected to influence the categorisation of media organisations and the distribution and weightage of government advertisements. While print newspapers seeking preference in the highest category will need independently verified circulation figures, web media houses will have to substantiate their digital reach through Google Analytics or similar reports. For cable television channels, questions remain over the absence of a clearly specified independent audience-rating mechanism.
The government has also replaced the existing Empowered Advertisement Committee with a Sub-Committee of the Media Advisory Committee for Categorisation of Media Houses for Advertisement and Related Issues. The new committee will recommend matters relating to media enlistment, categorisation, recategorisation, advertisement rates, circulation verification and the distribution of advertisements.
Print Media:
The revised policy establishes three categories for daily newspapers, with specific requirements relating to publication history, geographical coverage, staffing, newspaper size and daily printed circulation.
Large Category: A newspaper must have a minimum publication history of five years and circulation or coverage across all districts of Tripura. It must have one designated editor and at least 12 journalists. The prescribed minimum newspaper size is 50 cm × 32 cm, with daily printed circulation of 20,001 copies or above.
Medium Category: Newspapers must have at least three years of publication history, coverage across all districts, one designated editor and at least eight journalists. The prescribed daily printed circulation is 10,001 to 20,000 copies, with the same minimum newspaper size.
Small Category: Newspapers must have at least one year of publication history, coverage across a minimum of four districts, one designated editor and at least four journalists. The required daily printed circulation is 5,001 to 10,000 copies.
Smaller-sized daily newspapers and weekly newspapers will be treated as tabloids. They must have at least one year of publication history, coverage across four districts, one designated editor, two journalists and a minimum of four pages. The prescribed circulation range is 2,501 to 5,000 copies. For weekly newspapers, circulation will be considered on the day of publication.
These benchmarks make the circulation declared by a newspaper an important factor in determining its category under the amended policy.
ABC Certification for Highest Print Media Category
The revised policy places particular emphasis on independently verified circulation for newspapers seeking preference within the proposed Large category.
Preference will be given to the print media house having the highest circulation in the preceding financial year, ending March 31, subject to the annual CA certificate being corroborated by a certificate from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) or another recognised third-party organisation, as specified or assigned by the department.
Consequently, a newspaper's self-declared circulation figures alone will not be sufficient to establish its claim for the highest-category preference. The circulation figures must be supported by the prescribed verification documents.
The policy also requires Large and Medium category newspapers to have at least two colour pages. Other requirements include exclusive infrastructure, an updated trade licence, annual employee lists, compliance with ESIC and EPF provisions wherever applicable, a certificate issued by the Press Registrar General of India, GST registration, annual audited balance sheets and an annual CA certificate.
Cable TV Channels: Coverage, Staffing and Daily News Output Under Scrutiny
Electronic media houses operating television channels have also been divided into Large, Medium and Small categories. Their classification will depend on the duration of their operations, geographical coverage, staffing and the number of live news programmes or programmes produced daily.
Large Category: A channel must have operated for at least four years and provide telecast coverage across all districts. The prescribed staffing structure includes one designated chief, three video editors and nine reporters, along with anchors, telecast crew and other personnel. The channel must produce eight live news programmes or programmes daily.
Medium Category: A minimum of two years of operation and coverage across five districts are required. The staffing structure includes one designated chief, two video editors and six reporters, along with anchors, telecast crew and other personnel. The prescribed daily output is five live news programmes or programmes.
Small Category: A channel must have operated for at least one year and cover at least two districts. Its staffing structure must include one designated chief, one video editor and four reporters, along with anchors, telecast crew and other personnel. It must produce three live news programmes or programmes daily.
To establish the area of operation, the channel proprietor must submit a certificate from the concerned Multi-System Operator (MSO), which must be corroborated by a report from the District Administration.
For preference within the proposed Large category, the policy also refers to the highest coverage during the preceding financial year, subject to corroboration of the annual CA certificate by an appropriate authority to be specified or assigned by the department.
However, the policy does not clearly specify who will maintain and independently verify records of daily live news broadcasts or what standardised mechanism will be used to assess compliance with the prescribed daily output requirements.
Cable TV Audience Measurement:
The policy does provide a mechanism for verifying geographical coverage through MSO certificates and District Administration reports. It also refers to certification by an appropriate authority to be specified or assigned by the department for assessing the highest coverage of television channels. An independently verifiable and comparable audience-measurement mechanism could therefore help distinguish actual audience reach from the area in which a channel is available.
The amended policy does not expressly announce the establishment of a separate television audience-rating agency. The government may need to issue further instructions or designate an appropriate authority if it decides to introduce a standardised mechanism for assessing television-channel coverage and audience reach.
Web Media: Visitor Benchmarks and Daily Updates to Determine Categories
The amended policy introduces specific benchmarks for digital news websites based on their operational history, daily updates, staffing and average visitors.
Large Category: At least four years of operation, with daily updates comprising Local-9, National-4 and International-2. The website must have one designated editor, three reporters and two technical staff members. The prescribed average visitor benchmark is 20,000.
Medium Category: At least two years of operation, with daily updates comprising Local-7, National-2 and International-1. The website must employ one designated editor, two reporters and one technical staff member. The prescribed average visitor benchmark is 15,000.
Small Category: At least one year of operation, with daily updates comprising Local-5, National-1 and International-1. The website must have one designated editor, one reporter and one technical staff member. The prescribed average visitor benchmark is 10,000.
These are the visitor benchmarks specified in the amended policy for the respective categories. Websites must also meet the applicable requirements relating to infrastructure, registration, staffing and financial documentation.
Google Analytics or Similar Reports for Highest Web Media Category
For preference within the proposed Large category, the policy gives importance to the web media house having the highest coverage during the preceding financial year, ending March 31. The annual CA certificate must be corroborated by a certificate from another recognised third-party organisation or agency, such as a Google Analytics Report or similar, as specified or assigned by the department.
This requirement makes documented and verifiable digital reach important for websites seeking the highest-category preference. Publishers will need to substantiate their visitor and coverage claims through the prescribed reporting mechanism rather than relying exclusively on self-declared figures.
The precise reporting format, measurement period and verification procedure may depend on further specifications issued by the department.
Other requirements for enlisted web media houses include exclusive infrastructure, an updated trade licence, annual employee lists, compliance with ESIC and EPF provisions wherever applicable, a registration certificate issued by the competent authority, GST registration, annual audited balance sheets and an annual CA certificate.
New Sub-Committee to Recommend Media Categorisation and Advertisement Distribution
Under the amended policy, the newly constituted Sub-Committee of the Media Advisory Committee will make recommendations on the enlistment and delisting of media houses, categorisation and recategorisation, advertisement rates, circulation coverage and other matters relating to the implementation of the policy.
The Information and Cultural Affairs Department will determine the distribution and weightage of government advertisements among enlisted media houses and their respective categories, taking into account the recommendations of the sub-committee.
However, the inclusion of a media house in a particular category will not automatically guarantee a specified volume of government advertisements. The department's decisions regarding advertisement distribution will continue to play a role.
Sections of the media have called for safeguards against conflicts of interest in the new system, demanding that beneficiaries of advertisement allocations should not participate in committees responsible for deciding those allocations. They have argued that the categorisation process should be conducted through an impartial mechanism with transparent criteria and verifiable records. The issue may therefore require further consideration by the government while finalising the composition and functioning of the relevant committees.
Interim Advertisement Releases to Continue Under Existing Provisions
The notification states that until the categorisation of media houses and the associated advertisement-distribution pattern are finalised under the amended framework, interim advertisement releases will continue under the Tripura Advertisement Policy, 2021, its First Amendment and subsequent decisions.
The media fraternity has broadly welcomed the long-awaited amendment to the new Tripura Advertisement Policy, viewing it as a positive step towards modernising the framework and extending greater benefits to media organisations. The reduction in the circulation threshold for newspapers from 50,000 to 20,000 copies is a welcome move. However, the reported reduction in the minimum visitor threshold for news websites from 30,000 to 20,000 merits further consideration in view of the growing reach of digital media. The revised policy is expected to create better opportunities for newspapers, news portals, television channels and other media organisations across Tripura.
However, the impact of the amended advertisement policy and the revised criteria on the classification of media organisations and the distribution of government advertisements will become clearer once the policy is implemented.
more news...