A resolution to amend Article 2 of Regulations on the Methods of Broadcasting Advertisements and the Distribution and Number of Advertisements of Radio and Television Businesses and Article 3 of the Regulations on the Duration of Programs and the Distribution and Number of Advertisements of Satellite Broadcasting Businesses was approved during the 1108 th Commission Meeting of NCC. These amendments, including the stipulation that “the total duration of broadcast advertising in each program remains unchanged” and “the interests and rights of viewers and listeners are ensured,” amount to a moderate relaxation of the restrictions on the number of advertisements that may be broadcast, thereby granting radio and television service providers greater flexibility to arrange and broadcast advertising and expand their creative horizons.
According to the NCC, due to the impact of digital convergence and the internet audio-visual industry only being loosely regulated on content, broadcast and television service providers are generating significantly lower revenue from advertising. In that light and in order to promote the development of the communications industry and give service providers greater flexibility to arrange and broadcast advertisements, while at the same time ensuring the rights and interests of viewers and listeners and maintaining fair and orderly supervision of the industry, NCC plans to moderately relax restrictions on the number of advertisements that may be broadcast, provided that service providers remain compliant with the rules regarding the total duration of broadcast advertising in each program. With the new regulations in place, service providers may determine the number of advertisements to broadcast as needed for their operations, as long as they do not exceed the maximum stipulated number of advertisements.
To ensure that the amendments undergo thorough consideration, the NCC held a public conference on September 12, 2023, inviting scholars and experts, civilorganizations (the Consumers’ Foundation and Taiwan Media Watch Foundation), and television broadcasting associations to provide feedback on the planned amendments. Moreover, a notice was issued on November 9, 2023 to initiate a 60-day period of public consultation to compile any comments on the draft amendments. After consulting with the Fair Trade Commission and Central Election Commission, the draft amendments were presented for discussion and approved at the 1108 th NCC meeting on February 27, 2024, and came into effect on March 20, 2024.
The amended clauses are as follows:
Paragraph 1: Advertisements may be broadcast three times in programs that air for up to 30 minutes, and six times in programs that air for up to 60 minutes. For programs that air for more than 60 minutes, the number of advertisements that may be broadcast shall be determined using the aforementioned principle.
Paragraph 2: For live events, advertisements may be broadcast at appropriate times.
Paragraph 3:“Advertisements” as referred to in Paragraph 1 include those that arebroadcast before or after programs as well as those broadcast during programs.
