MUMBAI: The children's channel space in the country gets a shade denser.

The Kalanithi Maran-promoted Sun Network has announced its plans to launch a Telugu general entertainment channel targeting the young with an emphasis on cartoons and movies, in the next three weeks.

Gemini Cable Vision, to be popularly known as GCV, will be initially free to air, but is slated to go pay in the long term, according to Sun Network director Sharad Kumar. One month's free transmission has been offered to cable operators in Andhra Pradesh to familiarise viewers with the channel. Youth and children are the target audience for this channel. While a few significant animation properties have been acquired by Sun for GCV, Kumar is reluctant to reveal names.

News will also form a minor part of the programming, but cable operators in Andhra Pradesh will have the alternative of opting to telecast songs that will be played during the duration of the news capsules.