Indiantelevision.com Team

(18 March 2008 6:30 pm)

NEW DELHI: Realising its error in permitting advertisements in an amendment in 2006 of shared brands as long as they did not directly advertise liquor or tobacco products, the Government has now amended the Cable TV Networks (Regulations) Rules 1994 to forbid direct or indirect advertising of shared brands.

In a notification of 25 February, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry removed the proviso which permitted advertisements by brand names for products like soda and water, which is generally known as 'brand extension' by the advertisers.

However, there was strong outcry against this, particularly after Health Minister Ambumani Ramadoss said that these brands were only indirectly promoting liquor and tobacco products.

Parliament was informed today the notification says “no advertisement shall be permitted which promotes directly or indirectly production, sale or consumption of cigarettes, tobacco products, wine, alcohol, liquor or other intoxicants.”

The August 2006 amendment allowed advertisements of products which shared a brand name or logo with any tobacco or liquor product with several caveats. No reference — direct or indirect — could be made to the prohibited products in any form and the “story board” or visual could depict only the product being advertised.

The proviso had also mandated against use of of particular colours, layout, presentations or situations associated with the prohibited products.

I&B Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said in the Lok Sabha that "failure to comply will entail action as per the provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and rules framed thereunder".

The Minister added that even the Press Council of India, a statutory autonomous body, has laid down the norms for journalistic conduct under Article 13 (2)(b) of the Press Council Act 1987, stating that "no advertisement shall be published, which promotes directly or indirectly production, sale or consumption of cigarettes, tobacco products, wine, alcohol, liquor or other intoxicants”.