Broadcasting Act enforcement decree revised to loosen ad regulations; daily TV ad cap raised from 17% to 20%; mid-program ad threshold and frequency both expanded

[Provided by the Korea Broadcasting and Media Communications Commission]
[Provided by the Korea Broadcasting and Media Communications Commission]

The government plans to significantly ease broadcast advertising regulations, expanding the daily ad volume cap and allowing more mid-program commercial breaks.

The Korea Broadcasting and Media Communications Commission (KBMCC) presented a proposed revision to the enforcement decree of the Broadcasting Act at its 17th plenary session of 2026, held Friday, outlining a broad set of deregulation measures for the broadcast advertising sector.

The revision comes amid growth in the online advertising market and a decline in broadcast ad sales, with persistent criticism that broadcast advertising rules are far stricter than those applied to over-the-top streaming services. The Lee Jae Myung administration has pledged to reform advertising and programming regulations — including the introduction of a negative-list advertising regime — as part of its national policy agenda.

The overall advertising market grew 44.2 percent over the past decade, and the online advertising market nearly tripled during the same period. Broadcast advertising sales, by contrast, fell 27.6 percent. Revenue from terrestrial broadcasters' advertising dropped from roughly 1.9 trillion won (about $1.24 billion) in 2015 to approximately 800 billion won by 2024 — a decline of more than half.

The KBMCC said it aims to create a virtuous cycle in which additional revenue generated by the deregulation is reinvested in content production, improving program quality and strengthening broadcasters' competitiveness.

Under the revised decree, the daily broadcast advertising cap will rise from the current average of 17 percent to 20 percent of each channel's total daily airtime, and per-program advertising limits will be abolished. However, a separate 20 percent cap will apply during weekday and weekend evening hours to prevent ad concentration in prime time.

The minimum program length required to allow mid-program advertising will be shortened from 45 minutes to 30 minutes. Programs running 45 to 60 minutes will be permitted up to two mid-program breaks, up from one, while programs of 60 to 90 minutes will be allowed up to three breaks, up from two.

Rules on indirect advertising will also be relaxed. Virtual and indirect ads will now be permitted in educational programs, expanding the eligible genres — though children's programs and news and current affairs programs remain excluded. The maximum size of virtual ads will increase from one-quarter of the screen to one-third.

The permitted size of subtitle ads and data broadcast channel ads will likewise expand from one-quarter to one-third of the screen.

The revised enforcement decree is expected to be promulgated in September after consultations with related ministries, review by the Ministry of Government Legislation and approval at a Cabinet meeting.

KBMCC Chairman Kim Jong-chul said the commission would continue pursuing regulatory reform in stages, starting with this decree revision. "As broadcasters become more competitive, they will be better positioned to produce high-quality content, and we expect viewer satisfaction to rise as a result," he said.


balme@heraldcorp.com