MOSCOW, April 8 (RAPSI) – The Ministry of Culture is drafting amendments to the Law on Advertising to promote children’s goods on television, including a provision to allow commercial breaks during animated films for children, reads an announcement posted on the website of planned legislation.

The ministry argues that Russian television companies do not show Russian cartoons because the television rights are expensive and commercials are prohibited during shows for children.

“When considering the purchase of content, television networks primarily focus on commercial expediency,” reads the explanatory note to the bill. “The number of television shows for children will not increase unless broadcasting them becomes profitable.”

The Ministry of Culture has proposed amending Article 14 of the federal law On Advertising to “introduce a prorated schedule for commercial breaks during the broadcasting of Russian cartoons.”

Public debates of this bill will last until April 22.

Last year, a similar initiative was advanced by prominent members of the State Duma Committee on Culture – film director Stanislav Govorukhin and actresses Maria Kozhevnikova (United Russia) and Yelena Drapeko (A Just Russia).

In January 2014, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko proposed supporting the idea of lifting the ban on commercials during shows for children, because children can see huge amounts of commercials during other programs. She added that this could only be done on the condition that the advertising revenue is invested in more children’s programming.