DD Tamil (formerly DD Podhigai) is an Indian Tamil-language state-owned public television broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by Doordarshan. It is broadcast both terrestrially and via satellite. It was established on 15 August 1975. DD Tamil launched its HD version on 19 January 2024.

Doordarshan Kendra Chennai was inaugurated on 15 August 1975. The service had been extended to the entire state in phased manner by installing Terrestrial Transmitters of different capacities (HPTs, LPTs, VLPTs) at different parts of the state. Only one channel with limited time for regional language, that is, Tamil was telecasted, the duration of the entire telecast was not for 24 hours. During 1985, colour transmission was started; in 1988 a second channel was started. Meanwhile, in 1986 Tamil serials were telecasted for the first time. DD Chennai is one of the oldest kendras in the country, having been begun in the mid-1970s.

In addition to the Terrestrial transmission, Chennai programmes were beamed through satellite and cable networks. The channel is owned and operated by Doordarshan, a television network of Prasar Bharati Broadcasting Corporation and is based in Chennai. Prasar Bharati is an autonomous corporation of the Government of India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and comprises Doordarshan television network and All India Radio.

Employees trained at FTII in January 1975 ahead of the launch of the service. The channel began broadcast on an experimental basis on 15 August 1975 on channel 4 from a makeshift studio at Chennai Doordarshan Kendra in Chennai as part of All India Radio. It started with 20 TV receivers in and around Chennai and transmitted one-hour educational and developmental programs twice a week. Regular daily transmission started in 1975.

At launch, it became the first television station at all to be installed in South India, as well as the fifth Doordarshan station overall, after Delhi (1959), Mumbai (1972), Srinagar (1973) and Jharkand (1974).

In 1976, the Indian government constituted Doordarshan, the public television broadcaster, as a separate department under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Doordarshan Kendra Chennai has transformed from the initial setup of television base production center during 1975.

Television Base Production Center was established for SITE (Satellite Instructional Television Experiment) Project conducted from 1975 to 1976. This Experiment was envisaged by Govt. of India to Educate rural population by producing and telecasting area-specific programmes on the subjects ranging from agriculture, animal husbandry, health and nutrition, and adult education through satellite. Based on research villages had been selected to install DR Sets (Direct Reception Sets) viewing telecasts. This experiment was conducted Tamil Nadu and five other states.

These programmes were telecast through "ATS – 6" Satellite borrowed from the United States's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). On successful completion of SITE Project, these programmes were continued as INSAT project and was telecast through India's own Satellite INSAT. In addition to the terrestrial transmission, Chennai programmes were beamed through satellite and cable networks.