TRAI repeals 12-minute TV advertising cap after government rule change

MUMBAI: The ad break just got a little more breathing room. TRAI has pulled the plug on the rule that limited television advertising to 12 minutes in every clock hour, following the Central government’s removal of the corresponding provision from the Cable Television Networks Rules.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued the Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) (Repealing) Regulations, 2026 on September 10, formally scrapping its 2012 regulations along with all orders and directions issued under them.

The now-repealed 2012 framework had capped advertisements at 12 minutes during each clock hour of a programme broadcast. It also empowered TRAI to issue directions to service providers to ensure compliance and protect subscriber interests.

The rules were primarily designed to monitor and enforce the advertising limit under Rule 7(11) of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. That provision, however, was removed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting through a notification published in the Official Gazette on August 21, 2026.

The Centre said the move reflected the television sector’s significant changes, increased competition and consumer choice, while also aiming to promote fair competition and ease of doing business.

With the statutory ceiling gone, TRAI said retaining its corresponding 2012 regulations would no longer be consistent with the amended Cable Television Networks Rules. The regulator has therefore repealed the framework, with the repeal taking effect from the date the new regulations are published in the Official Gazette.

For broadcasters, the change opens up more room to package and schedule commercial inventory. Channels are no longer bound by the specific 12-minute-per-hour ceiling that governed television advertising for more than a decade.

The move could also reshape television’s advertising economics, giving broadcasters greater flexibility to monetise high-demand programmes and allowing advertisers and channels more freedom in structuring commercial slots.

But more ad-room does not necessarily mean wall-to-wall commercials. How much advertising viewers actually see is likely to depend on audience tolerance, viewing behaviour, broadcaster strategy and market demand, meaning the market, rather than a stopwatch, may now have the bigger say.