Operational since 2007, ViCTERS is telecast 17 hours a day, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. It is distributed by local cable operators, and covers as much as 80 percent of the total households in Kerala, according to the organisation running it.

ViCTERS also facilitates interactive virtual classrooms that enable school students and teachers to directly communicate with subject experts and educationists.

Incidentally, Deutsche Welle is Germany's state-run international broadcaster. With DW-TV, DW-RADIO and DW-WORLD.DE, it produces news, background information and cultural highlights worldwide, while creating a platform for intercultural dialogue.

'One could say that DW is now positioning itself as a provider of high value educational content on TV and radio. ViCTERS, which is part of Kerala's IT@School project, is probably the only state-run educational TV channel,' Deutsche Welle country representative for India Sajan Venniyoor told IANS.

Deutsche Welle has been working for the past 10 years with the Indira Gandhi National Open University and providing educational television inputs. 'Education and partnerships with schools and universities will continue to be a priority for the broadcaster in the future,' said DW.

Deutsche Welle and DW-TRANSTEL have also been putting out educational television broadcasts in India. Deutsche Welle said it is open to support educational television in India with 'hundreds of hours of programming.'