Govt removes 12-minute advertisement duration cap for television channels
New Delhi, Aug 14
The government has decided to remove the 12-minute advertisement duration cap for television channels to enable fair competition and ensure ease of doing business, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on Friday.
The advertisement duration cap for TV was introduced in 2006 under the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. Since then, the TV broadcasting sector has undergone significant changes. In 2006, there were only 62 TV channels, compared to more than 900 channels at present, the statement noted.
At that time, Cable TV, the main platform for delivering TV 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 and 500 channels or more, meeting diverse consumer needs and enabling greater variety. Consequently, there is now adequate competition in market dynamics, the statement said.
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-a-vis digital media, where no such stipulation on advertisement cap regulation exists.
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is of the view that there exists adequate competition in the market within the TV industry and between the TV industry and digital media. Consequently, the government has decided to remove the advertisement duration cap to enable fair competition and ensure ease of doing business, the statement said.
The decision will come into effect from the date of notification of the amendment in the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, in the Gazette, the statement added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Yaar, yeh decision theek hai ya nahi, mujhe samajh nahi aaya. Digital platforms pe toh unlimited ads chalti hain, TV pe bhi ab free laga do? But phir hum log toh subscription bhi dete hain cable ka. Double payment aur ab double ads? 😩
Honestly, I think this is a welcome move! The TV industry is struggling to compete with OTT platforms and YouTube where ad loads are unregulated. If we want quality content, channels need revenue. Better to let the market decide. Jitna viewers tolerate karenge, utna audience rahega. 🙏
Ek minute, 2006 mein 62 channels the aur ab 900+ hain. Competition toh already hai bhai. Agar 12 minute ka cap hata diya toh chhote channels aur regional channels survival ke liye aur zyada ads dikhayenge, aur viewer aur irritate hoga. Yeh toh TV ke liye ulta hi hoga.
At least they're acknowledging digital media has no cap. But this feels like a gift to big corporate broadcasters. The smaller channels will suffer because they'll get fewer ads as advertisers flock to bigger networks. Classic case of "ease of doing business" for the big players, not the small ones. 🤔
Main toh ab sirf OTT dekhunga! Pehle se hi ads bahut hain TV pe,
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.