Foreign channels must broadcast without any advertisements in Nepal. President Bidhya Devi Bhandari certified the ‘Television Clean Feed Policy’, thus it is now lawful in Nepal. And the policy will take an immediate effect starting from now on.
The ‘Television Clean Feed Policy’, previously proposed by the National Assembly, was denied by the House of Representatives.
Despite the policy that has now passed, institutions that have already agreed on the downlink with foreign channels can still broadcast without a clean feed for a 1-year duration. And institutions that have failed to make an agreement must broadcast according to the ‘Television Clean Feed Policy’ starting from the day it got passed.
The policy includes restrictions over broadcasting foreign advertisements as well as dubbed foreign advertisements on foreign channels. However, advertisements on foreign goods and services can be produced in Nepal itself and then broadcasted. The Government of Nepal believes that this practice will encourage Nepali manpower, geography, and goods thereby create employment and increase revenue.
Also, advertisers claim that the policy will gradually bring positive impacts on television, print, radio, YouTube, and other online media. Advertisement and communication experts had even said that the national broadcasting policy should be made on clean feed. But the Government has been acclaiming that the bill has been passed for goods scaling, distribution and service broadcast.
The Nepalese Government will also form an ‘Advertisement Board’ that holds right for advertisement print, payment, and monitoring.
However, private sectors seemed to be demanding disapproval of the clean feed policy. Under the provision, the Government and its bodies shall broadcast public welfare and other advertisements as well as notices and pay via the advertisement board. The board will proportionally distribute all public welfare advertisements of the Government. It also holds the right to amend, remove or improve the advertisements.
Similarly, the board can integrate with the advertisement agencies. Hoarding boards on electricity, telephone, and solar poles is strictly prohibited. Therefore, hoarding boards placed inappropriately in major cities of Nepal must be removed. A 3-year jail and up to 3 lakhs fine will be implied if the given conditions are breached.
The hoarding boards can only be placed in appropriate places with the permission of the respective body. But the permission will only be given as per the Government rules. Such boards can not be placed in areas including religious and cultural places or places where natural beauty and resources get violated.
