KATHMANDU, Oct 15: The Advertisement Board has prioritized regulating digital advertising, distributing government advertisements through a one-door system and amending advertising laws to make the market more transparent, accountable and consumer-friendly.
The priorities are outlined in the Board’s annual report for fiscal year 2025/26, presented by Chairperson Santosh Shrestha to Minister for Information and Communications Dr Bikram Timilsina on Wednesday. The report also highlights plans to curb misleading advertisements, digitize services and strengthen the Board’s institutional capacity under the National Advertisement Policy, 2083.
The Board plans to monitor advertisements across social media, digital platforms, traditional media, cinemas and public spaces, with particular attention to misleading health claims, illegal betting, cryptocurrency promotions and other deceptive content. It has also identified artificial intelligence-generated advertisements, deepfakes, influencer marketing and advertisements carried by foreign digital platforms as growing regulatory challenges.
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The report proposes amendments to the Advertisement (Regulation) Act, 2076, and related laws to address emerging technologies and protect consumers. It also calls for a more transparent and proportional system for distributing public welfare advertisements and a centralized process for managing government advertising and payments.
During fiscal year 2025/26, the Board listed 197 new online media outlets and renewed 268. It also registered 92 new advertising agencies and renewed 324. The Board reported taking action against misleading advertisements, including contacting authorities to remove deceptive social media content and shut down accounts promoting unauthorized health claims.
The Board has digitized its internal administration and service delivery through the Advertisement Management Information System and the GIOMS system. It also plans to establish an Advertising Academy, introduce a National Advertising Award and strengthen complaint-handling mechanisms.
However, the report identifies shortages of technical staff, inadequate infrastructure, gaps in legal clarity and limited research data as major obstacles to effective regulation. The Board says it will focus on legal reform, stronger monitoring, institutional capacity and consumer protection to make the advertising market more transparent and accountable.