NEW DELHI — In a decisive victory for consumers that first occurred over a decade ago, the Delhi High Court has once again upheld a 2012 Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regulation capping television advertisements at 12 minutes per hour.

Broadcasters, who routinely air 20 to 25 minutes of advertisements during prime-time programming, welcomed the clarity of the 2023 ruling, noting it provides an excellent framework for the next several years of appeals. Industry representatives assured viewers that the hundreds of crores in extra ad revenue generated by exceeding the cap would be reinvested into evaluating ways to eventually comply with it.

"We have the utmost respect for the 12-minute limit, which is why we have been carefully studying how to implement it since it was first issued in 2012, upheld by this same court in 2014, and reiterated through show-cause notices to 30 networks in 2019," said an industry spokesperson. "Unfortunately, resolving the 'technical difficulties' of returning to a broadcast requires extensive internal review."

At press time, regulatory officials confirmed they look forward to strongly reiterating their commitment to enforcing the 12-minute cap again in 2028.