Indian TV, now in a PC near you

Indian entertainment portal indiya.com announced Thursday a new service which enables online users to purchase and download some of the country's most popular TV shows from its site.

According to the press release, the service targets broadband-enabled audiences, especially those residing in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Southeast Asia. It is offered via a "download-to-own" model, in which purchased content is downloaded to the user's computer and is playable on up to two Windows Media compatible devices, including portable video players.

Content currently available for purchase include videos of popular Indian television shows like The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and Koffee With Karan. But the company said that it will widen its offering in the future by including programs like current affairs updates as well as Indian films and music.

Consumers can sample the quality of its content at no cost for a limited period. indiya.com has stated that it will offer free downloads of single TV episodes, adding that it will only charge for additional episodes, which are priced starting from US$0.99.

The Internet represents one of the many media recently employed by the Indian entertainment industry to promote its products and services to audiences overseas.

Earlier this week, the GSM Association (GSMA)--together with partners Hungama Mobile and Roamware--collaborated with film maker Sanjay Gupta to unveil a new initiative designed to bring the Indian film industry into the mobile entertainment space.