India has abolished its long-standing 12-minute-per-hour television advertising limit, allowing broadcasters to increase commercial breaks and compete more effectively with digital platforms amid a changing regulatory landscape.
India has moved to scrap its long-standing 12-minute-per-hour cap on television advertising, a shift that broadcasters have sought for years and one that could allow channels to sell more commercial time once the rule change is formally notified in the Gazette. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting says the old limit no longer fits a market that has expanded from a small analogue landscape into a crowded digital television environment with hundreds of channels available across cable, DTH, HITS and IPTV. According to the ministry, competition is now broad enough to restrain excessive advertising without a hard hourly ceiling.
The decision marks a sharp reversal from the position upheld by the Delhi High Court in May, when judges backed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s advertising cap and rejected broadcaster arguments that it infringed constitutional rights. The court said the limit was meant to protect viewers from excessive commercial breaks and to balance industry revenue needs against audience interests. That ruling underlined how sensitive the issue had remained, even as broadcasters continued to press for relief.
The government has now taken the opposite view, arguing that television is competing not only within its own sector but also against digital and over-the-top platforms, which are not subject to the same advertising-time restriction. In that context, officials say the cap is no longer necessary and that removing it will help level the playing field while supporting ease of doing business for a sector that relies heavily on advertising income.
For broadcasters facing softer ad markets, the change could offer a welcome boost. But the practical impact will depend on how aggressively channels choose to use the extra room and how viewers respond if commercial breaks grow longer. The amendment will take effect only after it is notified, leaving the industry in a brief holding pattern before the new regime begins.
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