How is newspaper advertising priced in India?
Display ads, the boxed ads with pictures and design, are sold by area. You pay a rate per square centimetre for each day the ad appears in each edition.
The basic sum: width (cm) × height (cm) × rate per sq cm × number of days = cost.
Example: an ad 10 cm wide and 12 cm tall is 120 sq cm. At ₹105.86 per sq cm, that's ₹12,703 for one day, before colour and GST.
Classified ads, such as job, property or matrimonial ads, are priced differently. They are usually charged by the line, the word or a small fixed box, and usually cost less than display ads.
How does the government set newspaper ad rates?
CBC uses one rule for every daily on its panel. On 17 November 2025, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting raised the base rate from ₹47.40 to ₹59.68 per sq cm for every 1 lakh copies, in black and white. That was a 26% increase, the first revision since January 2019.
So a paper's rate grows with its circulation. Anandabazar Patrika's 5,84,479 copies × ₹59.68 per lakh gives ₹348.81 per sq cm, exactly what the rate card lists. Papers below 1 lakh copies are listed at the base ₹59.68.
The government also approved premium rates for colour ads and preferred positions. The press release does not give the percentages, so ask for them in any quote.
What do Kolkata newspapers charge?
Kolkata has strong papers in Bengali, English and Hindi. On CBC's rate card, Anandabazar Patrika is ₹348.81 per sq cm, Bartaman ₹144.96, The Telegraph ₹105.86, The Times of India ₹95.15 and The Statesman ₹90.39. Our newspaper advertising in Kolkata page explains how we choose papers and editions for the city.
On CBC's figures, the top Bengali dailies sell more copies than the English ones in Kolkata. English papers are often used to reach business and professional readers. Many campaigns use one of each.
Sample newspaper budgets: what an ad really costs
Here are worked examples at CBC rates, for one day, black and white. Media cost only, before colour or position premiums, design and GST.
| Newspaper (edition) | Rate per sq cm | Small ad: 10 × 12 cm (120 sq cm) | Large ad: 25 × 33 cm (825 sq cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anandabazar Patrika (Kolkata) | ₹348.81 | ₹41,857 | ₹2,87,768 |
| Bartaman (Kolkata) | ₹144.96 | ₹17,395 | ₹1,19,592 |
| The Telegraph (Kolkata) | ₹105.86 | ₹12,703 | ₹87,335 |
| Prameya (Bhubaneswar) | ₹255.78 | ₹30,694 | ₹2,11,019 |
| Sambad (Bhubaneswar) | ₹136.67 | ₹16,400 | ₹1,12,753 |
| Hindustan (Patna) | ₹194.38 | ₹23,326 | ₹1,60,364 |
| Prabhat Khabar (Patna) | ₹91.79 | ₹11,015 | ₹75,727 |
| Dainik Bhaskar (Ranchi) | ₹67.11 | ₹8,053 | ₹55,366 |
A small ad run on three different days in one paper costs three times the one-day figure. A launch campaign with a large ad in two papers on the same day might cost ₹2 lakh to ₹4 lakh at these rates.
What makes a newspaper ad cost more or less?
- Circulation. More copies sold means a higher rate per sq cm.
- Size. Cost rises with every square centimetre. A tight, clear ad often works as well as a big one.
- Colour. Colour costs more than black and white.
- Position. The front page, page 3 and "jacket" ads that wrap the paper cost more than inside pages.
- Editions. Many papers print several city editions. Running in all editions costs more than one city.
- Day. Weekend and festival editions are popular, and the best positions sell out early.
- Ad type. Classified ads usually cost less than display ads.
Is newspaper advertising still worth it?
Print is smaller than it was, but it isn't dead. In 2025, print advertising in India still grew 2%, according to the FICCI-EY media and entertainment report (March 2026). Newspapers remain strong for trust, for regional languages and for older and business readers.
Newspapers suit real estate launches, education admissions, retail sales, automobile offers, public notices and recruitment. They are weaker for young audiences who read mostly on their phones.
To know if it worked, put a unique phone or WhatsApp number, a QR code or an offer code in the ad. Then watch calls and searches for your brand name on the day it runs and the days after.
How do agencies charge for newspaper ads, and how do you compare quotes?
We don't publish our fees. Here is how print is usually billed, so you can compare any quote, including ours.
- Media cost: the paper's rate per sq cm × size × days, plus colour and position premiums. Ask for each part in writing.
- Agency fee or commission: a percentage of media, or a fixed fee for planning and booking.
- Design: the ad layout and copy, quoted separately.
- GST: added on top. Ask whether the quote includes it.
Ask every agency for the same details: papers, editions, dates, size, colour, position, rate per sq cm and total. Ask for a copy of the published page as proof. A good media buying partner gives you all of this without being asked.
Choosing which papers, editions and days fit your budget is media planning. Our print advertising service plans, designs, books and tracks newspaper campaigns.
