Centre abolishes TV ad limit, channels free from August 21
New Delhi, August 22: The Central Government has abolished the 12-minute advertising limit on TV channels. A gazette notification amending the Television Network Rules 1994 was issued on August 21, 2026, making the new rule effective.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) stated in a statement on Saturday that the decision to remove the advertising duration limit was made to ensure fair competition and ease of doing business in the TV broadcasting sector.
The 12-minute advertising limit for TV channels was implemented in 2006. At that time, there were only 62 TV channels in the country. Now, their number has increased to over 900. Furthermore, with the digitization of cable TV, a large number of channels are available to viewers on platforms such as DTH.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, there is now considerable competition in the TV industry. At the same time, there was a level playing field for traditional TV channels, as there are no such advertising length limits on digital media.
The government believes that removing advertising length limits will provide TV channels with greater flexibility in the advertising market and promote ease of doing business. The 12-minute advertising limit will no longer be applicable to TV channels.
