From full-page ads by the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh to those by an electric appliance chain and ‘Poland Day’ – this Diwali week, advertisements in newspapers were abundant.

While The Times of India printed the most number of ads during the week – a whooping 177, Hindustan Times closely followed with 157 ads. The Indian Express printed 78 ads within the week, while The Hindu featured 61.

This is significant as the government’s overall ad spending on traditional media has drastically declined in the last few years. Over the past six years, the Narendra Modi government’s spending on ads in newspapers has plunged by 87 percent. 

The print media in India heavily relies on advertisements for revenue, and on festive occasions like Diwali, the volume of ads increases significantly. For the Diwali week – from November 5 to November 12 – Newslaundry analysed the advertisements in the Delhi editions of the four major national dailies with the highest circulation: The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express and The Hindu.   

The Times of India

From an advertisement by Uflex for ‘Poland Day’ to an advertisement by a new matchmaking website “especially for the elite”, The Times of India  unsurprisingly scored big on advertisements.

In the Diwali week, TOI – the English daily with the highest circulation in the country – printed a total of 177 ads, out of which 135 were private ads, 24 were by state governments, six by central government ministries and 12 from government-affiliated organisations.

The highest volume of ads came on November 10 — as many as 34 ads, out of which 31 were by private firms, two by state governments and one by a government-affiliated organisation. 

The newspaper had received the second most number of ads on November 5. Out of a total 31 ads – 23 were by private companies, two from the central government, five from state governments, and one from a government-affiliated organisation.

During the week, full-page ads included those by Blinkit, Electronics Mart, Himalaya Wellness Company, LG, Lenovo, Nippon India Mutual Fund, Samsung, the Uttar Pradesh government, and the Haryana government.

As per the Media Ant, a front-side jacket in TOI costs Rs 46,07,717 per insert, while a full-page ad costs Rs 32,80,126 per insert. A half-page ad is priced at Rs 19,12,460, and a quarter-page ad costs Rs 10,30,282 per insert.

Hindustan Times

With 157 advertisements, Hindustan Times printed the second most number of ads among the four newspapers during the Diwali week. At least 108 of these ads were by private companies, four by the central government, 31 by state governments and 14 by government-affiliated organisations.

The newspaper printed the most number of ads on November 10. A total of 29 ads featured in its Delhi edition – 22 by private firms, four by state governments, and three by government-affiliated organisations.

A front-side jacket ad in the Hindustan Times costs Rs 41,17,231 per insertion, as per the Media Ant. A full-page ad costs Rs 28,19,480 per insertion, a half-page ad is priced at Rs 15,06,132, and a quarter-page ad at Rs 8,03,271. 

The full-page ads in Hindustan Times included those by Electronics Mart, Vijay Sales, Reliance Digital, Suzuki, Uttar Pradesh Government, Aquaguard, and the Punjab government.

The Indian Express

A total of 78 ads were printed in The Indian Express between November 5 and November 12. Out of these, 44 were by private firms, 20 by the state governments, 12 by government-affiliated organisations and two by the central government.

The highest volume of ads for the publication came in on November 11, with 18 ads, closely following the tally of 14 ads printed on November 9. The full-page ads in the newspaper included those by Nippon India, the Uttar Pradesh government, the Uttarakhand government, Vision IAS, Veena World, Google Pixel, and Haryana Tourism. 

Like the other newspapers, The Indian Express received its bulk of ads this year by private companies. The newspaper received only two ads by the central government, even though the ads in the news daily are priced at significantly lower rates than in The Times of India. 

A front-side jacket ad in The Indian Express costs Rs 14,20,848, a full-page ad is priced at Rs 10,70,784, a half-page ad Rs 6,17,760 and a quarter-page ad at Rs 3,12,000 per insert.

The Hindu

Out of all the papers analysed, The Hindu fared the worst in terms of advertisements. It received a total of 61 ads in 8 days. Out of these, 44 were by private firms, 11 from state governments, five from government-affiliated organisations, and one from the central government.

It received the highest volume of ads on November 9 – with nine ads by private firms and one by the state government. On November 7, the news daily featured only three ads. During the Diwali week, it received only one ad from the central government. 

The full-page ads in The Hindu included those by Samsung Galaxy, Vision IAS, Next IAS, the Uttarakhand government, the Punjab government, and the Jharkhand government.

A front-page ad in The Hindu costs Rs 12,13,466, a full-page ad is priced at Rs 7,76,617, a half-page at Rs 4,22,994, and a quarter-page at Rs 2,25,597.

Research assistance by Ainnie Arif.