Broadcast advertising operates under the constraints set by the Broadcasting Law: in what volume, when and how advertising, teleshopping, sponsorship announcements and product placement may be shown. This page explains the marking and transparency obligations: identification, separation, timing restrictions and sponsorship disclosure.
General Rules and Prohibitions
Article 63 of the Broadcasting Law teaches the baseline rule first: with respect to advertising, the rules established by the Law on Advertising apply unless the Broadcasting Law provides otherwise. It is prohibited to place improper, dishonest, unreliable, unethical and blatantly false advertising or teleshopping. Advertising of tobacco products is prohibited, as are advertising, sponsorship announcements and product placement relating to gambling organisers. Audiovisual commercial communication must be easily recognisable, and covert audiovisual commercial communication is prohibited — the universal core of the marking obligation. The media-service provider is not responsible for the content of pre-election and social advertising; that content lies with the respective advertising customer, which concentrates compliance attention on the commercial material the broadcaster itself accepts.
Identification and Separation
Advertising and teleshopping must be identified and clearly separated from the programme by optical, acoustic or spatial parts. The means of separation must be technically clear. It is prohibited for the host of a news, socio-political or pre-election debate programme, or its journalist, to participate in any form in advertising or teleshopping Teleshopping transmitted in the form of a broadcasting programme must occupy at least 15 minutes continuously, and it too must be identified and clearly separated from other programmes. Teleshopping may not be aimed at minors; advertising directed at children or featuring them must not harm their interests; and advertising within a news programme is prohibited.
Timing Restrictions and Volume
Articles 63 and 64 also regulate the time blocks. On a broadcaster's channel, other than a specialised advertising or teleshopping channel, advertising may be placed between programmes, and within a programme only while preserving the programme's value. Interruption is prohibited for official state events and addresses of high state-political officials, religious ceremonies, and programmes or documentary films shorter than 15 minutes. A news programme may be interrupted by advertising or teleshopping no more than once in 30 minutes. A children's programme shorter than 30 minutes cannot be interrupted by advertising, while one longer than 30 minutes may be interrupted once in 30 minutes; interruption of a children's programme by teleshopping is impermissible. A feature film longer than 30 minutes may be interrupted no more than once in 30 minutes, and in sports events advertising may be placed only during the natural interval. Where advertising is carried by overlay, including a moving strip, the time-related restrictions do not apply, but the size of the overlay must not exceed 10% of the frame area. The volume rules: the volume of commercial advertising and teleshopping placed in advertising breaks must not exceed 20% of the period from 6 to 18 hours, nor 20% of the period from 18 to 24 hours; this restriction does not extend to sponsorship announcements and product placement within a programme.
Exceptions for the Public Broadcaster
Under Article 64, on the channels of the public broadcaster and its Ajaria television and radio, commercial advertising may not be placed on holidays or in prime time, except within the frame of sports reportage and international festivals and contests — at the start of the competitive programme, natural intervals and the end. In those exception cases the volume of commercial advertising must not exceed 60 minutes per day and 12 minutes in any hour, while in the remaining permitted cases it must not exceed 3 minutes per hour. Sponsorship on those channels is admissible only for sports reportage, international festivals and contests, entertainment programmes and series. Teleshopping on the public broadcaster's channels is prohibited, as is teleshopping by a university broadcaster, and for culture-creative radio broadcasting teleshopping, advertising, product placement and sponsorship in its favour are prohibited altogether.
Identifying Sponsorship
Under Article 68, in a programme partially or fully financed by a sponsor, the sponsor must be clearly indicated by its name, trademark or other identifying sign, at the beginning of the programme, during it or at the end. Here lies the legal core of disclosing the sponsorship relationship: identification converts sponsorship from a hidden commercial presence into a declared contribution.
Product Placement
Under Article 69-1, product placement in a programme is admissible except in a closed list of formats: news programmes, programmes on consumer rights, religious programmes and children's programmes. Placement must be carried out so that it does not influence the content and the position of the programme in the schedule, including editorial independence and responsibility; does not contain a direct call to purchase the product; and does not give the product excessive prominence. Placement must be clearly identified: at the beginning and end of the programme, and after every break in which placement occurs, this must be clearly indicated The placement of prescription medicines is prohibited, as is the placement of any product whose advertising is prohibited by the Law on Advertising.
How must advertising be separated from the programme?
Identified and clearly separated by optical, acoustic or spatial parts; covert audiovisual commercial communication is prohibited.
How often may a news programme be interrupted?
No more than once in 30 minutes; interruption of programmes shorter than 15 minutes is prohibited altogether.
What restrictions apply to advertising volume?
No more than 20% of the period from 6 to 18 hours and of the period from 18 to 24 hours; an overlay must not exceed 10% of the frame area.
Where is product placement prohibited?
In news, consumer-rights, religious and children's programmes; also for prescription medicines.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team helps broadcasters, sponsors and advertising clients with marking and transparency compliance. We check advertising blocks against the timing and volume restrictions, assess sponsorship and placement formats, and prepare your position with the regulator. Contact us for a consultation — we will tell you which rules apply to your case and how to avoid a violation.