TV Channels to follow 12m/hr Ad Rule from Oct 1

If you are pissed of heavy ads on TV channels, there is a good news for you. From October 1, 2013, the TV channels cannot irritate you more. They have been restricted to show Ads for just 12 minutes in an hour. Earlier, there was no specified rule and the channels made huge money by taking advantage of the flaw in the system.

Despite initial resistance and reluctance, the broadcasting industry finally agreed to abide by a 12-minute limit on the advertising hour. The decision to crack the whip, was taken by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). TRAI had issued the quality of service norms in May 2012, but the channel did not oblige and challenged the jurisdiction of TRAI in the matter in the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).

The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has already asked its members to begin reducing ads starting next month. As per the IBF notification, news channels will peg the ad limit at 20 minutes from hour starting from July 1 as part of the transition. All other channels will have to limit their ads to 16 minutes per hour.

The 12-minute rule will be implemented from October 1, 2013. The TV channels are worried that if the advertisers do not agree to an increase in ad rates, they will suffer heavy losses to manage their expenses and give better quality of services.