Letters: 'Ad' nauseam

This refers to your edit “Freedom to advertise” (May 17). Your opposition to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) capping the duration of advertisements in television channels is disappointing, since it ignores the viewer’s woes. Just as you find Trai’s restrictions on TV ads intolerable, viewers find the constant bombardment of commercials during programmes insufferable. A 30-minute news bulletin or entertainment serial has at least four ad-breaks of two to three minutes each. These inordinately long breaks cause so much irritation that, indeed, one is forced to switch off the television. Trai’s restrictions, thus, come as a welcome relief for most viewers. It must not be forgotten that viewers pay for content and not for advertisements.

M C Joshi, Lucknow

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