I&B Ministry
I&B tightens up on condom ads on TV
MUMBAI: Condom ads are off prime time television. The latest advisory from the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry has asked broadcasters to keep them out of the purview of children and only telecast them between 10 pm and 6 am.
The ministry said that it had taken note of objections regarding condom ads – which are “targeted at a particular age group” – being aired on some channels that are considered as ‘indecent especially for children.’ It used Rule 7 (7) and Rule 7 (8) of the Cable TV Networks Rules, 1994 to tell broadcasters to refrain from telecasting ads of condoms that could be considered inappropriate/indecent for viewing by children.
Channels may air the ads at night from 10 pm to 6 am—a time when Indian kids are possibly asleep—and abide by the rules.
Rule 7 (7) says that ‘no advertisement that endangers the safety of children or create in them any interest in unhealthy practices or shows them begging or in an undignified or indecent manner shall not be carried in the cable service.’ Rule 7 (8) says ‘indecent, vulgar, suggestive, repulsive or offensive themes or treatment shall be avoided in all advertisements.’
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) had approached the ministry for guidance after several people complained regarding the inappropriate nature of condom ads being telecast during primetime viewing on most television channels.
Recently, Mankind Pharma had been pushing the creative boundaries and had featured former porn-turned-Bollywood star Sunny Leone in a series of TVCs in which she cavorted around in a sensual and alluring way that could be argued as being in the zone of titillation. The company had earlier run into a spot when one of its ads had offended local groups in the western Indian state of Gujarat and it had to pull the hoardings off.
MUMBAI: When the numbers go silent, the noise on screen gets a little harder to measure. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has extended the suspension of television rating data for news channels, directing Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to withhold TRPs for another four weeks. The latest order, issued on March 31, 2026, builds on an earlier directive from March 6 that had paused ratings for a month. The ministry has clarified that the blackout will continue for four weeks or until further instructions are issued whichever comes earlier keeping the industry in a prolonged state of data drought.
The reasoning, officials suggest, lies far beyond domestic screens. With geopolitical tensions in West Asia continuing to escalate, the government has flagged concerns over how such developments could influence news consumption and presentation. The move is aimed at curbing excessive sensationalism and speculative coverage during what it describes as a sensitive global moment.
For the broadcast ecosystem, the absence of Television Rating Points (TRPs) is more than symbolic, it removes the industry’s primary scorecard. Ratings dictate advertising flows, shape editorial strategies and fuel the competitive pecking order among news channels. Without them, broadcasters are effectively operating without a public performance benchmark.
The timing only adds to the complexity. Amid a high-intensity global news cycle, channels must now navigate audience engagement without the weekly feedback loop that typically drives programming decisions. Advertisers, too, are left recalibrating, leaning on proxies such as brand strength, reach and distribution instead of hard viewership data.
While framed as a temporary regulatory intervention tied to maintaining public order, the extended suspension underscores a broader unease about the tone and direction of news coverage. For now, the ratings race is on pause but the battle for attention continues, just without a scoreboard.
