TDSAT adjourns 10+2 ad cap petition till 11 Nov 2013

The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) which has filed a petition against Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) 10+2 ad restriction is being heard by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). In a latest development, on October 31, 2013, TDSAT postponed the hearing date and will now hear the petition on November 11, 2013.

Sources state that the major GEC players Viacom18, ZEE and STAR sought to file as respondents in favour of TRAI’s decision on the 10+2 ad cap, however, in a change of scenario, the Tribunal postponed all the hearings to mid November.

As reported earlier, several other major broadcasters of the likes, E24, B4U, Sun TV, 9XM along with various regional broadcasters had recently moved a petition against the TRAI order of 10+2 ad cap seeking relief from the regulation prescribed by the TRAI. The regulation makes it mandatory for broadcasters to air 12 minutes of advertisements in a clock hour, including self promotion, under the Quality of Service (QoS) norm, which is part of the Cable Television and Network Rule (CTNR), 1994.