By Archita Srivastava
Clean-feed policy in Nepal’s television broadcasting systems has been enforced since Friday midnight, barring international advertisers from advertising on foreign television channels.
The Clean Feed Policy, announced last year, set a deadline of 23 October 2020 for all cable providers to make plans for the continued transmission or blocking of such channels.
As a result, several international channels, mainly Indian channels, have been taken off the air with TV screens flashing a note of the provision set out in the newly enforced policy.
In a press conference held earlier this week, the Minister of Information and Communications, Parbat Gurung, hailed the new provision as a ‘historic decision.’
Advertisement Regulations Act-2019 as well as Regulations 2020, in effect from the early hours of 24 October 2020-advertising-free-Clean Feed Policy shall come into force and shall be notified to all. It is also demanded of all for their assistance in this act.
The decision to introduce clean feed in Nepal is a historic decision and we have been working on it since 2016 by holding discussions, drawing up regulations and amending or adding various clauses, “said Minister Gurung.
The new policy requires television signal distributors to replace ads on international television networks with local advertising as done in most developed countries.
“Apart from a few exceptions, almost all of the foreign channels carry commercials made by multinationals and conglomerates for which Nepali viewers are paying monthly charges, while the domestic advertising industry is shrinking. Hence, the need for implementation of clean feed,” states the policy.
As per policy, Nepali viewers pay Direct-to-Home Satellite Television service providers a monthly charge and are thus also exposed to foreign commercials. (Inputs from ANI)
