BMC To Permit Video Ads In Low-traffic Areas: DOOH Regulations

EE News Desk Aug 01, 2024

The civic body will rope in a specialist agency for the field survey of DOOH and has recommended cameras and sensors to monitor the illumination

The Out-of-Home scenario in Mumbai has been through several rounds of discussions. In a recent decision by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM or BMC) which comes as a relief, video ads have been permitted to be aired in controlled environments such as malls, bus depots, waiting areas, and commercial buildings that are not exposed to vehicular traffic.

This decision was made recently during a meeting at the BMC headquarters to revise the commercial capital's first-ever digital outdoor advertising policy.

Last week, BMC introduced several stricter clauses as part of its upcoming policy to regulate the Out-of-Home (OOH) sector. This included a complete ban on hoardings on footpaths and within the right-of-way on national highways. Additionally, the height of hoardings had also been capped at 100 feet.

Now, the BMC's panel of experts has ‘unanimously’ decided to ban video ads along major traffic corridors with heavy vehicular movement. The recent meeting, chaired by Municipal Commissioner Dr Ashwini Joshi, included experts from IIT Bombay and consultants from EY. As per the meeting minutes, these restrictions will remain in place until IIT Bombay conducts a detailed study on the impact of videos on vehicular traffic safety.

This all began two weeks ago when the BMC started considering a ban on video ads in DOOH due to safety concerns raised by the traffic police. The police claimed that animated or video ads on billboards distract drivers and pedestrians, potentially causing accidents. This development distraught media owners, who argued that the traffic police's concerns were misplaced, as no studies had been conducted nor stakeholders or experts consulted to conclude that video ads pose a risk. They also pointed out that video ads are permitted worldwide.

Multiple images with a dwell time of eight seconds

Delving into details, the civic body has also decided to allow digital billboards to display multiple static images, with each frame shown for eight seconds, while prohibiting video and animated ads on roads and highways for the ‘safety’ of drivers and pedestrians. The BMC panel has decided that multiple static images can be advertised with a dwell time (duration) of eight seconds for smooth transitions.

Mumbai, home to the largest number of DOOH billboards (67) in India, is set to undergo significant changes as the BMC aims to enhance road safety while regulating the booming digital advertising market.

Meanwhile, after considering a cap on the illumination levels of all digital screens at night to 3.2 lux above ambient light in the upcoming DOOH advertising policy, BMC has decided to appoint a specialised lighting agency to conduct a thorough study on ‘illuminance’ first. This decision was made in a meeting held on 16 July, chaired by Joshi. The name of the agency and the timeline for the survey are yet to be finalised.

The civic body had previously formed a technical committee comprising professors from IIT and VJTI to establish guidelines. The committee has proposed a cap of 3.2 lux. Illuminance refers to the measurement of the amount of light falling onto and spreading over a given surface area and correlates with how humans perceive the brightness of an illuminated area.

The appointed agency is expected to conduct a field survey to measure the luminosity of the current hoardings. The survey will be supervised by committee members, including IIT Bombay experts, EY consultants, and BMC officials. The collected data will be uploaded to a cloud-based platform.

Sensors & luminosity of screens

The agency will also explore the feasibility of installing sensors and cameras to monitor the illumination of all DOOH screens across the city. In an effort to make the policy more inclusive, the BMC will conduct a ‘citizens survey’ before finalising the illumination rules for digital screens in Mumbai. While Mumbai currently lacks a policy regarding the luminosity of outdoor screens, many countries have regulations where luminosity often varies based on location and time of day.

The BMC requires that hoardings be equipped with ambient light sensors to dim or turn off the lights during curfew hours. The BMC has already proposed that all DOOH boards be turned off by 11 pm each night. Proper placement and orientation of digital screens will also be mandated to ‘minimise glare’. Additionally, the BMC plans to implement regular monitoring and adjustment of illumination.

Digital screens often face criticism for their alleged adverse impact on drivers. To mitigate any risk, the BMC has banned video ads on roads and highways, capped luminosity, and proposed an automatic switch-off for all DOOH screens in Mumbai at 11 pm.