NDTV Brings OPT OUT Telecast to India

New Delhi, Delhi, India , 2006-06-12

NDTV 24X7 today announced the launch of 'Southern Edition' a daily programme of news using the OPT-OUT telecast technology for its viewers in Southern India. Starting June 12, the viewers in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala will be able to watch region specific news and programmes. The southern specific telecast will be extended to Andhra Pradesh soon.

NDTV has become the first broadcaster in India to bring this world-class broadcast technology offering region specific programming for its viewers. Opt Out technology makes it possible for region specific news to be telecast while the rest of the country continues to watch the national telecast.

NDTV’s latest offering, 'Southern Edition' will be on air every weekday on NDTV 24X7 at 7.30 pm. With the use of OPT OUT technology the viewers in these states will be able to watch news which highlights key developments in the region and bring focus to the issues which are relevant to the people of these states. On the weekends, NDTV 24x7 will bring a bouquet of special programs for the viewers of these states.

Announcing the launch of the OPT-OUT telecast, Sonia Singh, Managing Editor, NDTV 24X7, said, "NDTV has been a pioneer in bringing broadcasting innovation and providing quality programming to its viewers. The OPT-OUT telecast will ensure that our discerning viewers across the country get programming that is relevant to the regional surroundings. Starting with 'Southern Edition' on NDTV 24X7, we will carry news that is Southern region specific and will also continue to provide national news perspective."

NDTV plans to expand reach of its OPT-OUT programming to cover other states and expand the region specific telecast across all the three channels, NDTV 24X7, NDTV India and NDTV Profit, in the near future.

The entire process of OPT-OUT programming is done automatically through the satellite without any physical intervention. The set-up involves individual boxes that are programmed to receive and switch frequency at the desired time to OPT-OUT of the regular feed and again switch back to the main channel feed when the OPT-OUT is over, with a two second changeover between the switch. The OPT-OUT telecasts are common in terrestrial networks where the local station replaces the national beam with a local broadcast, but very few satellite broadcasters have carried out this kind of programming.

About NDTV

About NDTV NDTV Ltd, founded in 1988 is India's first and largest private producer of current affairs, sports and entertainment television. It is home to the country's best and brightest reporters, anchors and producers; 23 offices and studios across the country host India's most modern and sophisticated production, newsgathering and archiving facilities. NDTV has an unmatched track record of successfully launching 3 news channels. NDTV 24x7 is a clear leader in the English news segment, NDTV Profit a 24 hour business plus channel is India's number 1 business news channel, and NDTV India, is amongst the country's leading Hindi news channels. As an organization, NDTV is committed to one cause: to use its extensive expertise, technology and reach to create unparalleled coverage of the latest in domestic and international news, sports and entertainment for viewers at home and around the world. For more information: www.ndtv.com .

Contact

Manisha Natarajan, NDTV, +91 9811999246
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