TV advertisement duration cap has been removed by the Central Government. The Central Government has notified the removal of the 12-minute advertisement duration cap for television channels. The change took effect with the notification of the amendment in the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 in the Gazette.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting notified the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2026 in the Gazette on August 21. The official notification states: “In the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, in rule 7, sub-rule (11) shall be omitted.” This omits the rule that limited advertisements. The decision was first announced by the government on August 14, 2026. It became effective from the date of the Gazette notification.
The advertisement duration cap was introduced in 2006 under the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. At that time, television channels could carry advertisements for a maximum of 12 minutes per clock hour. This included up to 10 minutes of commercial advertisements and up to 2 minutes of self-promotional programmes. In 2006, India had only 62 TV channels. Cable TV was the main platform. It was analog and had limited carriage capacity. Consumers had very limited choice.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the TV broadcasting sector has undergone significant changes since 2006. There are now more than 900 TV channels. Following complete digitization of the Cable TV sector, all distribution platforms including DTH, Cable TV, HITS and IPTV are digital. These platforms currently carry 300 to 500 channels or more. This meets diverse consumer needs and enables greater variety. Consequently, there is now adequate competition in market dynamics. The Ministry stated that in view of the changes that have occurred in the TV broadcasting sector, a need was felt to revisit the stipulations relating to advertisement duration. In India, the sector is heavily dependent on advertising, irrespective of whether a channel is pay or free-to-air.
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Furthermore, there was a non-level playing field for traditional TV channels vis-à-vis digital media, where no such stipulation on advertisement cap regulation exists. The Ministry of I&B is of the view that there exists adequate competition in the market within the TV industry and between the TV industry and digital media. The Government has decided to remove the advertisement duration cap to enable fair competition and ensure ease of doing business.
The amendment was made under Section 22 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. The Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2026 specifically omit sub-rule (11) of Rule 7 of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. Rule 7(11) was the provision that governed the 12-minute advertising ceiling. With this provision deleted, the previous limit no longer applies. The decision shall come into effect from the date of notification of the amendment in the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 in the Gazette. This has now taken place.
Television channels are no longer bound by the fixed 12-minute limit per clock hour for advertisements. Channels can now decide their own advertisement duration. This applies to both pay channels and free-to-air channels. Viewers may see changes in the length of commercial breaks on television channels. The government has not set any new upper limit in the amended rules. The change aims to create a level playing field with digital media platforms that face no similar duration restriction. All other rules under the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 regarding the content and nature of advertisements continue to apply as before. The notification completes the process started with the government’s announcement on August 14, 2026. The TV advertisement duration cap of 12 minutes per hour is no longer in force.
