Now Reading: Government Removes 12-Minute TV Advertisement Cap
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Government Removes 12-Minute TV Advertisement Cap
The Story in Brief
The Information and Broadcasting ministry has decided to remove the 12-minute-per-hour limit on television advertisements. The change will take effect after an amendment to the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, is notified in the Gazette. The existing rule allowed 10 minutes of commercial advertising and two minutes of channel promotion each hour.
The ministry said the number of television channels has grown from 62 in 2006 to more than 900, while digital platforms face no similar cap. The move follows a Delhi High Court ruling that upheld the restriction and said broadcasters had no constitutional guarantee of unlimited monetisation of public resources. The Economic Times reports that the effect on TRAI’s separate quality-of-service framework will need to be addressed.
The Indian Opinion
The claim that viewers will immediately face endless advertising is as premature as the claim that deregulation alone will rescue television. Channels may gain revenue flexibility, but longer breaks can drive audiences towards streaming and hurt viewing time. The government’s fairness argument also leaves a practical gap because TRAI’s separate rules may still apply. The real test will be whether the Gazette notification and subsequent TRAI action permit more ads without making ordinary programmes unwatchable.
Sources (2): timesnownews.com, economictimes.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
