Announcing the launch here, Punit Goenka, Director, Zee Group, said the channel, the group's thrid venture in the southern states after Telugu and Kannada ones, was aimed at exploiting the 'biggest' market in South India.

"Tamil is one of the biggest markets," he said adding localisation of media content was the future of the business, with the concept having been evolved in the last five years.

Detailing the contents of the new channel that went on air this morning, Zee Tamizh's Business Head V Chandrasekaar Barathi said that the channel would have the "right mix of entertainment and news content."

"It will be a pay channel and the 33rd from the Zee Group since its inception in the 1990s. Besides popular show concepts such as soaps and talent shows, three news bulletins would be aired everyday," he said.

The channel can be available though all multi-system operators (MSO) except the Marans-owned Sumangali Cable Vision (SCV) as "business talks were on," he said. It would also be available though the government-owned Arasu Cable TV Corporation.

The channel had a "good library" of movies and the broadcasting rights of 40 per cent of the Tamil films released this year so far had been secured, he said.