MIB formally scraps 10+2 TV ad cap, gives broadcasters greater monetisation freedom

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has formally removed the long-standing 10+2 advertising cap for television channels, amending the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 to delete the provision that restricted broadcasters to 12 minutes of advertising per clock hour.

e4m was first to report about the development. Read earlier report here.

The move gives effect to the government's decision, first communicated to broadcasters earlier this month, to abolish the statutory ceiling on television advertising. The amendment was notified in the Gazette on August 21, 2026, and has come into force from the date of publication.

The Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified through G.S.R. 751(E), specifically state that Rule 7, sub-rule (11), of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 shall be omitted.

Rule 7(11) was the statutory basis for the so-called 10+2 regime. It provided that a programme could not carry more than 12 minutes of advertising per hour, comprising up to 10 minutes of commercial advertising and up to two minutes of a channel's self-promotional programming.

The deletion therefore represents a significant regulatory shift for India's television broadcasting industry, effectively removing the government-prescribed limit on the amount of advertising that can be carried by television channels.

Government moves from proposed relaxation to complete removal

The formal amendment follows the government's decision, announced on August 14, to do away with the 12-minute-per-hour advertising ceiling.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had informed a delegation of the News Broadcasters Federation (NBF), led by its founding president Arnab Goswami, about the government's decision. The development came after sustained representations by broadcasters seeking greater flexibility in monetising television inventory and addressing the competitive imbalance between television and digital media.

Delegations representing other industry bodies, including the News Broadcasters & Digital Association and the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation, had also engaged with the minister on the issue.

The decision came after the MIB had been examining possible changes to the advertising-duration framework and consulting stakeholders across the broadcasting and advertising ecosystem. Industry discussions had included options ranging from a calibrated increase in permissible advertising time to differentiated norms and, ultimately, complete regulatory forbearance.

The Gazette notification now confirms that the government has opted for the most sweeping of those approaches: deletion of the statutory provision itself.

A major departure from the earlier 10+2 framework

The 10+2 regime had been part of India's television regulatory framework since 2006. The provision was subsequently challenged in court by broadcasters.

In May 2026, the Delhi High Court upheld the validity of Rule 7(11), along with the relevant TRAI advertising-duration regulations, rejecting challenges from general entertainment channels, news broadcasters and regional broadcasters. The court had held that the restrictions were intended to protect viewers from excessive commercial interruptions and that there was no constitutional guarantee of unlimited monetisation. 

The government's subsequent decision to remove the provision, followed by the August 21 Gazette notification, means the statutory position has now changed despite the recent judicial affirmation of the existing framework.

The deletion is particularly significant because Rule 7(11) was not merely an industry guideline. It formed part of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, framed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

Government cites changing television landscape

When announcing the decision earlier this month, the government pointed to the transformation of India's television sector since the advertising restriction was introduced.

There were only 62 television channels in 2006, when the restriction was introduced, compared with more than 900 channels today, according to the MIB. The ministry also highlighted the changing competitive environment, particularly the absence of a comparable statutory advertising-duration ceiling on digital platforms. 

The television industry is heavily dependent on advertising revenue across both pay-TV and free-to-air channels. Broadcasters have argued that the existing cap constrained their ability to monetise programming at a time when advertisers have a growing range of digital alternatives.

The government's decision is consequently being viewed by broadcasters as an attempt to create a more level playing field between traditional television and digital media.

Broadcasters had pushed for complete forbearance

Broadcasters and their representative bodies had consistently argued that advertising duration should ultimately be determined by market forces rather than a government-prescribed ceiling.

Their argument was that television already competes directly with streaming services, social media and other digital platforms for advertising budgets, while digital platforms have significantly greater flexibility over the volume, placement and timing of commercial messages.

News broadcasters, in particular, have highlighted the rising cost of continuous news gathering, live journalism, technology, distribution and other infrastructure.

From the broadcasters' perspective, the market itself would act as a corrective mechanism: excessive advertising could result in audience dissatisfaction and migration, ultimately limiting a channel's ability to sell additional inventory.

The government's decision to remove the cap therefore marks a shift towards this market-led approach.

Advertisers had favoured a more calibrated approach

The decision also follows a debate among advertisers and agencies over how far the government should relax the existing rules.

The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) had supported an increase in the permissible advertising ceiling to 25% of a clock hour, effectively allowing 15 minutes of advertising per hour.

The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), on the other hand, had argued for a market-led approach without government-prescribed advertising durations.

Broadcasters, including the IBDF and NBDA, had sought complete forbearance.

The final decision therefore goes beyond the calibrated relaxation that some stakeholders had contemplated. Instead of raising the ceiling from 12 minutes to a higher fixed limit, the government has removed Rule 7(11) altogether.

More advertising inventory, but questions around execution

For broadcasters, the immediate commercial implication is the creation of greater flexibility in determining the quantity of advertising inventory they can offer.

The removal of the cap could allow channels to respond more dynamically to demand, audience behaviour and market conditions, potentially increasing advertising inventory and providing an additional revenue opportunity.

However, the absence of a statutory ceiling does not necessarily mean that broadcasters will automatically fill every additional minute with advertising.

Broadcasters remain dependent on audience retention, advertiser demand and the commercial value of their inventory. Longer commercial breaks could affect viewing behaviour, while advertisers themselves may be cautious about the impact of excessive commercial interruptions on campaign effectiveness.

This could result in market forces playing a greater role in determining the practical level of advertising carried by individual channels.

Consumer experience remains a key question

The removal of the statutory cap is also likely to intensify the debate around the television viewing experience.

Advertising-duration restrictions were designed, among other considerations, to prevent excessive commercial interruptions and maintain a reasonable balance between programming and advertising.

With the statutory limit removed, broadcasters will have greater latitude, but the industry will now face greater scrutiny over how that flexibility is used.

The impact will be closely watched by advertisers, agencies and consumer stakeholders, particularly as broadcasters begin recalibrating their commercial strategies.

Comes as television industry undergoes wider regulatory changes

The amendment is part of a broader evolution of India's television regulatory framework.

The Cable Television Networks Rules were originally notified in 1994 and have been amended repeatedly over the past three decades. 

The latest amendment is narrowly drafted but commercially consequential. It does not replace Rule 7(11) with another advertising-duration ceiling. It simply states that the sub-rule shall be omitted.

This effectively removes the specific 12-minute statutory restriction from the Cable Television Networks Rules.

The amendment has immediate effect from its publication in the Official Gazette.

For broadcasters, the next phase will be to determine how the additional flexibility is translated into commercial strategy. For advertisers and agencies, the development could alter the availability, pricing and packaging of television inventory.

More broadly, the removal of the 10+2 regime marks a significant transition from a prescriptive advertising-duration framework to a more market-driven television advertising environment—one that places greater responsibility on broadcasters and market participants to determine the balance between monetisation and viewer experience.