The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Thursday repealed its 2012 regulations governing the duration of advertisements on television channels, following the government’s decision last month to remove the 12-minute-per-hour advertising cap.
TRAI issued the Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) (Repealing) Regulations, 2026, repealing the 2012 regulations along with all orders and directions issued under them.
The earlier regulations prescribed a ceiling of 12 minutes of advertisements in a clock hour of television programming and empowered TRAI to issue orders or directions to service providers to ensure compliance.
The regulations had primarily been introduced to monitor and enforce the advertisement-duration ceiling contained in the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994.
The latest move follows an August 21 notification by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which omitted the provision under the Cable Television Networks Rules that prescribed the 12-minute advertising cap for television channels.
According to the TRAI release, the government removed the cap in view of changes in the television broadcasting sector, increased competition and consumer choice, and to promote fair competition and ease of doing business in the sector.
TRAI said continuing its corresponding regulations after the removal of the underlying government rule would be inconsistent with the amended framework, prompting their repeal.
