TRAI repeals 12-min TV ad ceiling, aligns regulations with Centre’s move

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has repealed its 2012 regulations that prescribed a ceiling of 12 minutes of advertisements in a clock hour on television channels, following the Centre's decision to remove the corresponding provision from the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994.

On Thursday, TRAI issued the Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) (Repealing) Regulations, 2026, in a press release, formally withdrawing the regulatory framework governing television advertising duration. The repeal will take effect from the date the regulations are notified in the Official Gazette.

The move follows an August 21 notification by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), which omitted sub-rule (11) of Rule 7 of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. This provision had effectively imposed the 12-minute advertising-duration cap on television channels.

12-minute ceiling removed

The 2012 TRAI regulations had prescribed a maximum of 12 minutes of advertisements in a clock hour during the broadcast of a programme. They also empowered the regulator to issue orders or directions to service providers to protect subscriber interests and ensure compliance.

TRAI said the regulations were primarily intended as a quality-of-service mechanism to monitor and enforce the advertising-duration ceiling contained in Rule 7(11) of the Cable Television Networks Rules.

With the government subsequently removing that underlying provision, TRAI said continuing to enforce its corresponding regulations would no longer be consistent with the Cable Television Networks Rules.

Government cites changing television market

The MIB's decision to remove the advertising cap comes against the backdrop of significant changes in the television broadcasting sector, including increased competition and greater consumer choice.

According to the TRAI release, the government removed the restriction with the objective of enabling fair competition and promoting ease of doing business in the television broadcasting sector.

The regulatory change effectively shifts television advertising from a prescribed 12-minute-per-clock-hour ceiling to a framework without the specific statutory cap that had governed broadcasters since 2012.

TRAI aligns rules with Centre's decision

TRAI said the repeal was necessary to maintain consistency between its regulations and the amended Cable Television Networks Rules.

"In view of the removal of the advertisement duration ceiling by the Central Government," the regulator said, continuation of the corresponding TRAI provisions would be inconsistent with Rule 7(11) of the Cable Television Networks Rules.

The Authority has therefore repealed the 2012 regulations along with all orders and directions issued under them. The repeal will become effective from the date the new regulations are issued in the Official Gazette.

The move marks a significant change in the regulatory framework for television advertising in India, removing a decade-old restriction on the duration of advertisements that had been treated as a quality-of-service requirement for television viewers.

The repealing regulations were issued by TRAI on September 10, 2026.