MUMBAI: Dainik Bhaskar group's MY FM has announced a hike in advertising rate across its network by 25 per cent. The decision is taken keeping in account the listeners’ entertainment and inventory requirements. The rates have been effective from 1 April this year.

MY FM CEO Harrish Bhatia believes that this is the best way to keep growing in the broadcasting business. To survive in the market and keep growing, one must increase its inventory. “In the broadcast business the inventory is limited unlike other mediums, where inventory can be increased or decreased depending upon the ads pipeline. Our inventory is peaking and increase in ad rates is the only way to balance it, we are a strong customer centric organization and both listener experience and response to client campaign is of outmost importance to us.”

The CEO further added, “Our hike in ad rate is in the range of 15 to 25 per cent depending on the city, keeping into account the gaps and inventory required for us to ensure listening experience.”

According to Bhatia, the idea behind such step is rationalisation in inventory and not to compromise in the listener's experience in context to advertisements. Not only the listener's experience, the ads response should also be good only then they are worth it.

He further added, “Today radio is part of every media plan, every marketer has realized that Radio is the only medium where ad avoidance is minimum in comparison to another medium. Also, Radio helps in the brand building than just tactical advertising."

According to Bhatia, the other stations too will adopt the same because he feels this is the only route to revenue and survival.

“This is the only route for radio to grow. In a broadcasting business, if you reduce the inventory, how do you grow,” concluded Bhatia.