Apropos the edit “Freedom to advertise” (May 17), while you may be right in saying that viewers could switch off the television if they do not want to watch TV commercials, that might not be so easy, given the way the channels schedule TV commercials with the popular programmes. Are they not bombarding the viewer with unwanted advertisements in the guise of providing entertainment? The proliferation of ads during TV programmes, even during a live broadcast of a cricket match, disrupts the TV viewing experience.
While the restrictions on TV ads may lead to a fall in revenues, the broadcasters are free to raise subscription fees to offset the resultant loss.
If the government includes the advertisement expenditure in the taxable income of the firms, the high spending on ads will certainly come down.
B C U Nair, Hyderabad
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