MUMBAI: The Prannoy Roy-promoted NDTV Ltd can now offer region specific programming with the introduction of opt-out telecast technology.

NDTV 24X7 today announced the launch of Southern Edition, a daily news programme for its viewers in Southern India. Starting 12 June, 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.

Opt-out telecast allows NDTV 24X7 to air Southern Edition while the rest of the country continues to watch the national telecast.

Explaining the technology, an official release states that 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.

The southern specific telecast will be extended to Andhra Pradesh in due course. The company is also planning to expand the region specific telecast through the opt-out technology across all the three channels NDTV 24x7, NDTV India and NDTV Profit.

Southern Edition will air every weekday on NDTV 24x7 at 7:30 pm. On weekends, the channel will bring a bouquet of special programs for the viewers of these states, the statement says.

Meanwhile, if everything goes well, the news broadcaster could soon be targeting the launch of metro-centric channels. Rival news broadcaster TV Today has already launched a Delhi and national capital region specific channel named Dilli Aaj Tak.