New Delhi, Jun 18 (PTI) The Association of Regional Television Broadcasters of India (ARTBI) has merged with the News Broadcasters Federation (NBF), according to a statement on Friday.

The decision was ratified at the NBF Governing Board meeting, the Federation said in the statement.

Terming the decision "crucial", the Federation said it would help regional news channels and their digital platforms to understand and comply with regulatory requirements.

The move aims to strengthen the industry by building the federation "more democratic, diverse and united in spirit, in the best interest of the news broadcasting industry and the public at large," the NBF added.

NBF president Arnab Goswami said, "The amalgamation of the ARTBI makes the NBF beyond doubt the largest pan-India broadcasters' body, more than twice as large as another existing broadcasters' association."

"With this significant scale, the NBF will set new news standards and highest self-regulation and editorial standards," he added.

ARTBI founder Kartikeya Sharma expressed happiness over the move.

"We are happy with the merger of India's first recognised Association of Regional Television Broadcasters of India with the NBF. Now, the time is there for the consolidation where we must consolidate the NBF and the ARTBI together, so we formed the largest body and can do much better for all stakeholders involved,” the NBF in its statement quoted Sharma as saying.

The ARTBI has been working for the resolution of the issues of regional channels at the national and state levels with government and other agencies “for the past over a decade,” its convenor Rakesh Sharma said.

"The broadcasting industry has evolved during this period. The issues of regional and national broadcasters are almost the same. To leverage the strength and bring in efficacy, it has been decided to merge ARTBI with NBF. I am sure this initiative will strengthen the cause of regional channels," he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)