MUMBAI: The Telugu regional language television universe continues to expand.

Telugu speaking Indians living in the US and Europe have reason to cheer. Virginia-based Sneha TV will soon offer round-the-clock programmes targeted at Indian Diaspora in both the US and Europe.

The channel, which was launched in a few US cities with one hour of programming in 2002, has also inked a deal with Telugu news channel TV9 for news telecast. According to the deal, TV9 will provide hourly news packages to Sneha TV.

"It is a cross-connection between their motherland and their adopted country," Sneha TV president and CEO Ramesh Annamreddy was quoted in media reports as saying.

The channel will be telecasting a package offering a mix of movies, film- based programmes, serials, other entertainment and news on Andhra Pradesh. According to Annamreddy, a survey conducted by Sneha TV has shown that viewers are looking for quality entertainment, not films and serials -- the reason being, DVDs of the latest Telugu movies are available in the market.

Sneha TV was launched by a group of investors with an initial investment of $1.5 million. Reports suggest that the channel now plans to raise $2 million through venture capital funds. The subscription for the channel is $14.95 per month.