New Delhi: The News Broadcasters Association (NBA), the largest body of news broadcasters, has gone ahead to change its name to News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA). NBA is a private association of different current affairs and news television broadcasters in India. The change in the name was announced by NBA on Friday.
What prompted the change in name?
As the evolving media landscape has offered wide array of choices to viewers to access content on various mediums and digital seems to be the future, the NBA Board decided to change the name to NBDA to reflect the addition of digital media news broadcasters as its members.
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"NBA has decided to bring within its purview digital media news broadcasters. In its new phase, with the inclusion of digital media news broadcasters, the NBA Board has decided to change the name of the body from NBA to NBDA," NBA president Rajat Sharma said in a statement according to publication Mint.
Sharma added that he envisions NBDA to become a strong collective voice for both broadcast and digital media. “Along with commercial and regulatory issues, it will also enable the association to defend the fundamental right of free speech and expression guaranteed to the media in the Constitution of India in a better manner," he added.
Earlier in May, NBA had written to the ministry of information and broadcasting, asking for exemption from the new Information technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, for television news media and its extended presence on digital news platforms since they are governed by other laws. The plea was rejected and they were asked to furnish details about their organizations and appoint self-regulatory bodies.