The Advertisement Board of Nepal has issued a notice directing distributors and cable operators to ensure that foreign television channels are broadcast in Nepal without advertisements, in line with prevailing laws.

In a notice published on Tuesday, the Board said it had received complaints that some foreign channels, despite obtaining downlink permission in Nepal, were being aired with advertisements. It stated that letters have already been sent to the concerned parties regarding the issue.

The Board reminded stakeholders that broadcasting foreign channels with advertisements, whether or not they have obtained downlink approval, is against the law.

Citing Section 6(1) of the Advertisement (Regulation) Act, 2019, the Board said foreign television channels broadcast in Nepal must provide advertisement-free, or “clean feed”, transmissions. It also referred to the Act to Amend Certain Nepal Acts, 2025, which authorises the Board to monitor whether foreign channels are complying with the clean feed provision and to take action in cases of violation.

Under Section 25(3)(b) of the Act, individuals or entities found guilty of breaching the clean feed requirement may face fines of up to Rs500,000.

The Board has asked all distributors, Multi System Operators (MSOs), Local Cable Operators (LCOs) and other stakeholders to strictly comply with the legal provisions and ensure advertisement-free broadcasts of foreign channels.