Govt sends advisory to TV channels that ads must not interfere with programmes

New Delhi: Advertisements must not interfere with TV programmes, the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has said in an advisory to all television channels, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

In a written reply, I&B Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said 15 advisories and directives were issued since 2012, including the latest on March 10, which said, “All channels are advised to follow the provisions contained in rule 7(10) of the Advertising Code scrupulously.”

The rule reads, “All advertisement should be clearly distinguishable from the programme and should not in any manner interfere with the programme viz, use of lower part of the screen to carry captions, static or moving alongside the programme.”

Mr Naidu also said showcause notices were issued in 33 cases of Programme and Advertisement Code violations by private channels in the last two years.

Talking about the restoration of old film reels, Minister of State for I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore, said before the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) came into existence, many films of the silent era were lost and not traceable.

The NFAI was established in 1964 to trace, acquire and preserve the heritage of Indian cinema. Mr Rathore said since highly inflammable nitrate base was used in films made in the country before 1955, a large number of these were already destroyed and are no longer available.

On whether the five to six months of turmoil in the Kashmir Valley last year led to loss to press and electronic media in J&K, he said, “No sir. The DAVP has issued advertisements on regular basis to the newspapers published from J&K during the period under reference”.

“Since the campaigns on TV are telecast across the states, wherein the viewers of J&K are in a position to receive the broadcast signals of all TV channels telecast from within or outside the state, there would be hardly any impact on the ground situation,” he said.