Delhi High Court has given a big decision to provide relief to TV viewers from continuous long advertisements. The court has made it clear that now no TV channel will be allowed to show advertisements for more than 12 minutes in an hour. Delhi High Court completely justified the rule of TRAI in which the limit of showing maximum 12 minutes of advertisements every hour has been set for TV channels. The court rejected all the petitions of the channels and broadcasters. Division Bench Justice Anil Kshetrapal and Justice Amit Mahajan said that TRAI has made this rule within its jurisdiction and its purpose is to protect viewers from unnecessary advertisements.
What are the advertising rules now?
According to TRAI rules, at present there is a maximum of 10 minutes of advertising and 2 minutes of self-promotional content in an hour.
can be shown. This means that in total only 12 minutes of advertisements will be broadcast in an hour on any channel.
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What arguments did the channels give in Delhi High Court?
Entertainment, news and regional TV channels had told the court that advertising is their biggest source of income. He claimed that this limit would harm his business. There will be an economic crisis for free-to-air and regional channels. Advertisements are also part of freedom of expression. News channels argued that commercial speech is also protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
Why did Delhi High Court reject the argument?
Delhi High Court said that the interest of the audience is paramount. People watching TV cannot skip commercials in real time, so excessive commercials spoil their viewing experience. The court held that the 12-minute limit is a balanced arrangement that balances both the commercial interests of the channels and the rights of the viewers.
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Legal battle was going on for 10 years
This case was pending in the court for the last decade. In 2013, the High Court had stopped TRAI from taking strict action against the channels. Now in the final decision, the court has completely validated the TRAI rules. The rule made by TRAI does not violate Articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution. This is a balanced regulatory framework designed in the interest of the audience.