MIB opens OTT advertising pipeline with JioHotstar, ZEE5, Amazon MX Player and FanCode

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has expanded the government’s digital advertising framework by empanelling four over-the-top (OTT) platforms under Category A of the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), allowing them to carry communication campaigns of the Government of India.

The final panel includes JioHotstar, ZEE5, Amazon MX Player and FanCode, according to an advisory issued by the CBC’s New Media Wing on August 27, 2026. The empanelment follows the platforms’ acceptance of the government’s L-1 rate matrix and approval by the competent authority.

The move is significant as the government increasingly looks beyond traditional television, print and other legacy media to reach audiences across streaming, connected TV and digital video platforms.

The four platforms were issued empanelment letters on August 20, with the advisory formally notifying the final Category A panel.

Three-year empanelment

The CBC said the empanelment will remain valid for three years from the date of the advisory or until the validity of the Digital Advertisement Policy, 2023, whichever is earlier. The period can be extended by one year with the approval of the Director General or Principal Director General of the CBC.

The empanelment follows an earlier request for proposal (RFP) issued in January 2026, along with subsequent corrigenda and a revised RFP. The August notification is also a continuation of an earlier advisory issued on May 20.

Under the process, OTT platforms that qualified and conveyed their acceptance of the complete L-1 rate matrix were considered for empanelment.

The four platforms represent a mix of large general-entertainment streaming services and a sports-focused digital platform. JioHotstar is operated by JioStar India, while ZEE5 is owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Amazon MX Player is operated by Amazon Seller Services and FanCode by Sporta Technologies, according to the CBC's panel list.

Government fixes L-1 rates for OTT advertising

The CBC has also prescribed a standardised L-1 rate matrix for advertising inventory across the empanelled platforms.

The rates are quoted in Indian rupees, exclusive of GST, and include all service costs. For video advertising, the rates are based on CPTI/CPM for every 10 seconds of creative duration, with all government video campaigns required to run on a non-skippable basis.

For mobile and desktop video advertising, including pre-roll and mid-roll formats, the L-1 rate is Rs 70 on a CPTI/CPM basis per 10 seconds for non-skippable advertising.

The rate for video advertising on connected TV (CTV), covering pre-roll and mid-roll placements, is higher at Rs 150 per 10 seconds on a CPTI/CPM basis.

The rate matrix also covers display and home-screen inventory. A display pause ad carries an L-1 rate of Rs 80, while home-screen masthead banners on mobile and desktop as well as CTV are priced at Rs 45. A mobile banner carries the same Rs 45 rate.

For live-event video advertising on mobile and desktop, the prescribed rate is Rs 125 per 10 seconds for non-skippable advertising.

CTV gets a premium rate

The rate structure indicates that the government is placing a premium on CTV inventory compared with conventional mobile and desktop video.

At Rs 150 per 10 seconds, the prescribed CTV video rate is more than twice the Rs 70 rate applicable to mobile and desktop video. This could make connected-TV inventory an important component of future government digital campaigns as streaming consumption increasingly shifts to television screens.

The advisory, however, does not provide a rationale for the differential pricing between devices or formats.

The government has also specified maximum video-ad durations that vary by platform.

Zee and Amazon MX Player can run government video advertisements for a maximum of 60 seconds, while FanCode has a maximum duration of 30 seconds. JioHotstar has different limits depending on the nature of its inventory: a maximum of 30 seconds for its sports platform and 55 seconds for entertainment.

From broadcast to streaming

The empanelment comes as government communication planning increasingly has to account for fragmented audiences across television, digital video, streaming services and connected devices.

The CBC's decision effectively creates an approved pool of OTT platforms through which government departments and agencies can potentially disseminate communication campaigns under the prescribed advertising framework.

The inclusion of both entertainment-led platforms and FanCode also gives the government access to different audience environments. While JioHotstar, ZEE5 and Amazon MX Player offer broad entertainment-oriented inventories, FanCode provides access to live and sports-focused audiences.

The advisory itself does not specify the volume or value of advertising that the government intends to place on these platforms. Nor does it provide a platform-wise allocation of future campaigns.

Instead, it establishes the empanelment and the applicable L-1 rate card under the CBC's framework.

Non-skippable inventory mandated

A key condition of the framework is that all video campaigns released under the empanelment will be non-skippable.

This requirement applies across the video inventory covered by the rate card and gives the government a defined minimum exposure for its digital video campaigns.

The advisory also makes clear that the other conditions specified in the original RFP will continue to apply to the selected OTT platforms.

The standardised rate structure could also bring greater predictability to the government's procurement of OTT advertising, replacing negotiations around individual platform rates with an approved L-1 framework.

However, the notification does not state that all campaigns will necessarily be placed at the L-1 rate, nor does it detail how inventory allocation among the four empanelled platforms will be determined.

Four platforms, multiple formats

The approved inventory extends beyond conventional pre-roll and mid-roll video.

The CBC rate card covers mobile and desktop video, CTV video, pause ads, home-screen masthead banners, mobile banners and live-event video advertising.

This gives government campaigns access to multiple points of contact within streaming environments, from video content itself to platform home screens and live programming.

The structure also reflects the growing importance of CTV within the digital advertising ecosystem. By creating a separate CTV video category and assigning it a Rs 150 per 10-second L-1 rate, the CBC has explicitly incorporated connected television into its OTT advertising framework.

For platforms with both entertainment and sports offerings, the maximum permissible ad duration also varies. JioHotstar, for instance, has separate limits for sports and entertainment inventory, suggesting that the framework recognises differences in platform environments rather than applying a single duration ceiling across all OTT properties.

What the empanelment means for the OTT ecosystem

The CBC's move gives the four platforms a formal route into government advertising campaigns under the Digital Advertisement Policy framework.

For the platforms, government advertising represents an additional demand source, although the advisory does not disclose the expected advertising spends or minimum campaign commitments.

For advertisers and media planners, the more consequential development could be the government's formal adoption of OTT and CTV as part of its institutional media-buying framework.

The notification also provides a benchmark for rates across different OTT formats. The Rs 70 per 10-second rate for mobile and desktop video, Rs 150 for CTV, Rs 80 for pause ads and Rs 45 for several banner and masthead formats establish the government's approved L-1 pricing for the panel.

The empanelment is therefore not merely a list of approved streaming platforms. It also establishes a structured procurement mechanism through which government communication can be distributed across digital video and connected-TV environments.

With the empanelment valid for up to three years, subject to the Digital Advertisement Policy's validity, the framework could become an important component of the government's broader shift towards digital-first communication.

For now, the CBC has limited the Category A panel to four platforms: JioHotstar, ZEE5, Amazon MX Player and FanCode. Their inclusion marks a further formalisation of OTT as a channel for government advertising, alongside the established media platforms covered under the CBC's broader advertising framework.