Date:15/06/2004 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/06/15/stories/2004061502341900.htm

Back Zee's Telugu channel likely in August

K.V. Kurmanath

Mr Subash Chandra, Chairman, Zee Group, in discussion with the company's officials at a hotel in Hyderabad on Sunday. The network is planning to launch a Telugu channel. - A. Roy Chowdhury

Hyderabad , June 14

AFTER the foray into the regional television market in the North and East under the Alpha basket, Zee Network is making inroads into the South by launching a channel in Telugu.

The channel, Alpha Telugu, is all set to come up in August. "This is in line with our plans to cater to the huge regional television markets in the country," sources in the company told Business Line.

Mr Subhash Chandra, Chairman and Managing Director of Zee Telefilms Ltd, was in the city to oversee preparation work ahead of the launch.

At present Zee, the premier TV network, runs Alpha branded channels in Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi and Gujarati languages. While the first three channels were launched in 1999, Gujarati channel was launched in March 2000.

Like the other four Alpha bouquet channels, Telugu channel too would have a wide market thanks to the huge presence of expatriates in the West and Gulf, the sources said.