Noida (Uttar Pradesh): In a first foray by an Indian university in the entertainment media segment, Amity University (Noida) will launch a 24-hour education channel, 'Youth TV', targeting the vital human resource which needs the right path to scale new heights.

Amity plans to launch the channel in the next six to eight months with an investment of Rs.100 crore over the next three to five years.

Programmes centered on education, will be made in an on-campus studio, by students. The varsity will involve its students in filming and production and even as anchors, producers and viewers.

The channel will not only air educational programmes but also help students select the right courses.

The channel's web portal will provide complete information regarding education, gadgets, entertainment, cuisines, eating out etc and also serve as a platform for students to post their videos, blog and chat.

"We know that there is vast amount of creative energy in the Indian youth. We want it to be a part in building the concept. We have tried to make education more interactive by including different forms of media in the system", said channel CEO Aseem K. Chauhan.

Youth TV will compete with two networks of Doordarshan - Gyan Darshan and Vyas. Both are 24-hour education networks but they continue to suffer from low viewership.

Vyas is broadcast exclusively for undergraduate students. Gyan Darshan has fixed slots for programmes for school and college students.

The only private educational channel, Zed TV, owned by Subhash Chandra's Zee TV, was closed down after its launch seven years ago.

However, Youth TV CEO Aseem K. Chauhan is optimistic of the sustainability of the channel as it would involve about 45,000 students as educators in the entire system.

"Students are part of my plan for the channel. We will only hire a core team of TV professionals to guide students initially. For the rest, we will completely depend on our students", he added.