Times of India Advertisement Rates and Booking
What advertising in India's largest English daily costs, and when the premium is justified.
Onward Advertising
The Times of India is the most widely circulated English-language broadsheet in India. It carries a rate premium over regional publications, and knowing when that premium is worth paying is the key budgeting decision.
When the premium is justified
- Legal and gazette requirements that specify a national English daily
- Corporate announcements aimed at an urban, English-reading audience
- Premium matrimonial advertisements targeting metro and NRI families
- Recruitment for senior or specialised roles
When it is not
For a local property rental, a district-level recruitment drive, or a lost document notice where the issuing authority is regional, a regional-language paper reaches the relevant audience at a fraction of the cost. Paying metro English rates to reach a district audience is the most common budgeting error in this category.
Pricing structure
Classified text advertisements are charged per word with a minimum count. Display advertisements are priced per square centimetre and vary by edition, page position and colour. Delhi and Mumbai editions carry the highest rates; smaller city editions are considerably cheaper.
Combination bookings
Where a legal requirement calls for one English and one regional publication, booking both together through a single agency is usually cheaper than approaching each paper separately, and produces one quotation and one payment rather than two of each.
Booking lead time
One to two working days is normally sufficient for standard classifieds. Sunday matrimonial sections and festival editions fill earlier and should be booked several days ahead.
