Ban Released to Prohibit Ads from Intruding on Dramas

Couch potatoes will be able to enjoy TV dramas without interruption once a new regulation comes into effect next year.

A supplementary provision to the regulations that govern radio and TV broadcasting prohibits commercials from breaking up TV dramas, which last 45 minutes on average. The ban was released on Monday by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and goes into effect on Jan 1.

The provision was issued "in accordance with the people's interests and demands", Xinhua quoted an unidentified official at the administration as saying on Monday.

The top broadcasting watchdog is now requiring all TV broadcasters to re-arrange their programs and delete commercials that are scheduled to air in the middle of soap operas and other dramas.

Chen Gang, a professor of advertising at Peking University's school of journalism and communication, praised the ban.

"Placing a limit on commercials appearing during TV dramas not only gives viewers a better experience but also leads to fiercer competition among TV stations," he said.

"The number of TV stations in China is huge, and the competition among them is vicious. The weaker the station is, the more it relies on TV dramas and commercials. Under the regulation, such TV stations will have to develop their own programs instead of simply broadcasting TV dramas."

The current regulation imposes a maximum length of 18 minutes on blocks of TV commercials that are broadcast from 7 pm to 9 pm.

Dramas broadcast during those hours can contain no more than one block of commercials and that must run for less than 60 seconds.

At other times, the same regulation, allows two blocks of commercials - each lasting 90 seconds at the most - to appear during TV dramas.

A previous version of the regulation, which was in effect from 2004 to 2010, did not allow commercials to run during TV dramas broadcast from 7 pm to 9 pm. Shows appearing outside of those times could contain one block of commercials lasting less than 2.5 minutes.

Source: China Daily