MUMBAI: US-based India Broadcast Live, a global entertainment and media company, has unveiled Pio TV, a television channel meant for the Indian diaspora. The channel will be available through the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform.

Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi formally inaugurated the new channel yesterday at a function held in New Delhi.

IBL has begun streaming a variety of content from India, including news, sports and entertainment in several Indian languages to 40 million Indians living outside of India and 1.2 billion Indian subscribers in India via www.IndiaTVLive.com, states an official release.

"We look after the interest of the 20 million people of Indian origin (PIOs) and non-resident Indians (NRIs) who reside overseas. Hence I am delighted to launch this new platform that will connect the expatriates with instantaneous news and information from India," Ravi has been quoted in media reports as saying.

PIO TV will offer specialized programming to the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) around the world. The channel distributed via the Internet on www.IndiaTVLive.com will offer daily news bulletins, business news & features, talk shows, sports coverage, segments on lifestyle, fashion, cuisines, culture, tradition, religion and an exhaustive coverage of Bollywood and Indian entertainment, the release adds.