TRAI Scraps 12-Minute TV Ad Cap, Repeals 2012 Regulations
TRAI has repealed its 2012 regulations capping television advertisements at 12 minutes per clock hour, aligning with the Centre's removal of the ceiling under the Cable TV Rules.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued the Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) (Repealing) Regulations, 2026, doing away with its 2012 framework that limited advertising time on television channels.
The repeal, notified as Regulation 4 of 2026 and dated 10 September 2026, removes the Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) Regulations, 2012, along with all orders and directions issued under them. The 2012 regulations, notified on 14 May 2012, had prescribed a ceiling of twelve minutes of advertisements in a clock hour of programme broadcast and empowered the Authority to issue orders or directions to service providers to protect subscriber interests and secure compliance.
The move follows a decision by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which, through a notification published in the Official Gazette on 21 August 2026, omitted sub-rule (11) of rule 7 of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. That provision had set the twelve-minute advertisement duration cap for television channels.
The Centre cited significant changes in the television broadcasting sector, greater competition and expanded consumer choice, along with the objectives of enabling fair competition and ensuring ease of doing business, as reasons for dropping the ceiling.
TRAI's 2012 regulations were chiefly designed to monitor and enforce the advertisement duration limit as a quality-of-service measure, mirroring the ceiling laid down under the Cable Television Networks Rules. With the statutory cap no longer in force, retaining the corresponding regulatory provisions would have been inconsistent with rule 7(11) of the 1994 Rules.
To remain in consonance with the Central Government's decision, the Authority has decided to repeal the 2012 regulations and all related orders and directions. The repeal takes effect from the date the Repealing Regulations, 2026 are issued in the Official Gazette.