NEW DELHI: The government has removed the 12-minute advertisement duration cap for television channels.
The advertisement duration cap for television was introduced in 2006 under the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. Since then, the television broadcasting sector has undergone significant changes. In 2006, there were only 62 television channels, compared with more than 900 at present.
At that time, cable TV, the main platform for delivering television channels, was analogue and had limited carriage capacity, offering consumers very limited choice. Following the complete digitisation of the cable TV sector, all TV distribution platforms, including DTH, cable TV, HITS and IPTV, are now digital. These platforms currently carry 300 to 500 channels or more, meeting diverse consumer needs and enabling greater variety.
"Consequently, there is now adequate competition in market dynamics," said officials of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on the removal of the time ceiling on advertisements.
"In view of the changes that have occurred in the TV broadcasting sector, a need was felt to revisit the stipulations relating to advertisement duration. In India, the sector is heavily dependent on advertising, irrespective of whether a channel is ‘pay’ or ‘free-to-air’. Furthermore, there was a non-level playing field for traditional TV channels vis-à-vis digital media, where no such stipulation on advertisement cap regulation exists," said officials.
The I&B Ministry is of the view that there is adequate competition in the market, both within the TV industry and between the TV industry and digital media. "The Government has decided to remove the advertisement duration cap to enable fair competition and ensure ease of doing business," added officials.
The decision will come into effect from the date of notification of the amendment to the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, in the Gazette.
