MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms is planning to launch its regional channel ETC Punjabi in Australia and New Zealand by the end of this financial year.

"We are finalising plans for ETC Punjabi to enter Australia and New Zealand. We expect to launch within the next three months," says Essel Group chief executive officer of corporate strategy and finance Rajiv Garg who is also the managing director of ETC Networks.

Also to launch in the last quarter of this fiscal is Khalsa World, the third Punjabi language channel from the Zee stable. "Khalsa is set for a February launch," says Garg. Zee already owns and operates ETC Punjabi and Zee Punjabi channels.

The dedicated 24-hour religious channel will telecast live Gurbani from the Golden Temple. It will also have regular programmes like Katha, Kirtan, Kavi Darbars and discourses. The programming will include documentaries on Sikh saints.

Zee's customised channel for Astro, Malaysia's multi-channel pay TV operator, will be commercially launched on 20 January. The launch in Malaysia will happen in April-May, says Garg. "We are creating customised channels in some select markets like the Middle East to augment our international revenues. We are tapping the South East Asian market through an arrangement with Astro," he adds.

Aimed at Indonesian, Malaysian and Brunei audiences, the channel's content will be sourced from Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Music and Trendz. It will be localised with Bahasa Indonesia dubbing and Bahasa Melayu subtitling, to reflect the different language, lifestyle and viewing habits of the audiences in the three countries.