Digital media entities and influencers now eligible for government advertising

According to the recently introduced 'Karnataka Digital Advertising Guidelines - 2024' by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), digital media entities, including influencers, will now be able to receive government advertisements.

The government intends to utilise digital advertising to communicate its schemes and policies to the tech-savvy public. These guidelines will remain in effect for the next five years or until further notice.

The guidelines describe a digital media entity as “any platform, including web portals, news aggregators, websites, etc., that employs hardware, software, and the internet to facilitate the exchange of information, communication, or the provision of services, goods, or commerce.”

As a result, video streaming services such as Google (YouTube) and Meta (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc.), search engines like Google and Bing, social media platforms, OTT services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, fintech platforms such as Google Pay and PhonePe, news aggregators, call centers, and various others will qualify for these advertisements.

Influencers eligible for digital advertisements are classified into three categories—nano, micro, and macro—according to their follower count. The advertisements will be provided in various formats, including long and short videos, banners, pop-ups, audio, static images, and more.

The guidelines set forth eligibility criteria for digital advertising agencies and media entities to be approved by the DIPR. Agencies must be legally registered in Karnataka or have an operational office there, hold a valid GST registration, have contracts with major platforms like Google and Meta, and secure permission to run government campaigns. Digital media entities need to be at least one year old and have published content continuously for that duration, among other requirements.