New Delhi: The Union Government has notified new broadcasting regulations removing the longstanding 12-minute-per-hour limit on television advertisements, officially notifying the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2026. Under the gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, sub-rule (11) of Rule 7 under the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, has been omitted, dismantling the statutory duration cap that had restricted television commercial airtime for nearly two decades.
The advertising restriction was originally instituted in 2006 during an era when India’s television landscape was predominantly analog, featuring limited carriage capacity and just 62 active channels. According to the Ministry, the domestic broadcasting industry has undergone a massive transformation since then, expanding to over 900 digital channels delivered across diverse platforms including Direct-to-Home, Digital Cable TV, Headend-in-the-Sky, and Internet Protocol Television, each carrying hundreds of channels to cater to diverse viewer preferences.
The decision to omit the restriction comes in response to significant market shifts and long-standing appeals from the broadcast sector, which remains heavily reliant on advertising revenue across both pay-tv and free-to-air models. Officials noted that the traditional television sector faced an uneven playing field against digital streaming and online media platforms, which operate without equivalent statutory advertising caps.
By withdrawing the hourly ceiling, the government aims to foster fair market competition between linear television and digital alternatives while promoting ease of doing business across the media and entertainment sector.
