Sun Group

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Sun Group
Company type Corporate group
Industry Media conglomerate
Founded1990;34 years ago (1990)
HeadquartersMurasoli Maran Towers, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Services
Owner Kalanithi Maran
Subsidiaries
Website www.sun.in

Sun Group is an Indian media conglomerate, based in Chennai. [1] [2] It was founded by Kalanithi Maran in 1992. [3] Sun Group, besides television media, has 48 FM radio stations, [4] two daily newspapers, five magazines, a DTH satellite service and T20 cricket franchises.

Contents

Subsidiaries

Cable television

In 1990, Kalanithi Maran started a monthly video (VHS) news magazine in Tamil called Poomaalai. Sun TV is the first and flagship channel of the group started on 14 April 1993. [5] [6] [7] [8] Sun TV was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange on 24 April 2006 upon raising $133 million. [9] Sun Group owns Sun TV Network's 37 TV Channels across four South Indian languages Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and the company's first step of TV Channel segment in North India is Bengali language and in the Marathi language the company launched TV Channel on 17 October 2021, the Group's second step of TV channel segment in North India.

DTH and Cable Provider

Sun Direct is a DTH service provider established in December 2007. [10] [11] Sun Direct is the fourth largest DTH service provider in India as of March 2015. [12] From its launch Sun Direct DTH continue to be the Market Leader of South India.

Radio

The group owns 70 FM Radio stations across India broadcasting under the names Red FM, [3] Suryan FM, Magic FM 106.4.

Newspapers and magazines

SUN Group owns two daily newspapers and five magazines in Tamil. Dinakaran was founded in 1977 by K. P. Kandasamy and was acquired from K. P. K. Kumaran by Sun Network in 2005. [13] [14] It is the second largest circulated Tamil daily in India after Dina Thanthi, back in 2010. [ citation needed ] Tamil Murasu is an evening newspaper. The group owns magazines Kungumam, Kumguma Chimizh, Kungumam Thozhi, Aanmigam, Mutharam and Vannathirai.

Film production

Sun Pictures is a film production and distribution company established in 2000. It produced the TV film Siragugal and Rajinikanth starrer Endhiran . It has distributed more than 20 Tamil films starting from Kadhalil Vizhunthen . [15] [16]

OTT Platform

Sun NXT is a global online audio/video streaming platform owned and operated by Sun Group's, Sun TV Network established in June 2017. It has more than 4000 movie titles including movies like Vijay's Sarkar Ajith Kumar's Mankatha ,and Rajinikanth's Petta . Sun TV Network is planning to invest more in its OTT Platform, Sun NXT, by making original web series and original OTT movies from mid-2022. [16]

Television Production Company

Sun Entertainment is Television production Company, which produces small budget movies for Sun TV Direct TV Premier, after movie released in TV it will be available only on Sun NXT OTT App, also co-producing all upcoming webseries in Sun NXT OTT Platform which are coming soon in mid 2022 and also co-producing the serials which are showing in their TV Channels.

Sports

Sunrisers Hyderabad is a cricket franchise based in the city of Hyderabad that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). [17] The team was bought by Kalanithi Maran in October 2012. [18] Daniel Vettori is the head coach and Pat Cummins is the captain of the team. They also own the SA20 cricket franchise the Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

Aviation

SUN Group acquired 37.7% stake in Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet in June 2010. [19] [20] In 2012, Despite the losses, Kalanithi Maran increased his stake in Spicejet by investing ₹1 billion (US$12 million) in the airline. [21] In January 2015, the Sun group sold its entire shareholding back to the airline's founder Ajay Singh and transferred control. [22]

Corporate social responsibility

In 2018, the Sun Group donated ₹2 crore to support the relief efforts in the cyclone-affected districts of Tamil Nadu. [23]

Related Research Articles

SpiceJet is an Indian low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana. As of June 2024, it is the sixth largest airline in India by number of domestic passengers carried, with a market share of 4% and connects 73 destinations, including 60 Indian and 13 international from its bases at Delhi and Hyderabad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun TV (India)</span> Indian television channel

Sun TV is an Indian Tamil-language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Sun TV Network. It was launched on 14 April 1993. It is the flagship channel of the Chennai-based media conglomerate Sun Group's Sun TV Network. It was founded and is owned by Kalanithi Maran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun TV Network</span> Indian media company

Sun TV Network Limited is an Indian Media conglomerate company headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is a part of Sun Group and is one of Asia's largest TV networks. Established on 14 April 1993 by Kalanithi Maran, it owns a variety of television channels in multiple languages and radio stations in multiple languages. Its flagship channel is Sun TV.

<i>Deccan Chronicle</i> Indian English-language daily newspaper

Deccan Chronicle is an English-language daily newspaper based in Hyderabad, India. Founded in 1938, it was initially launched as a weekly and later converted into a daily. The newspaper's name reflects its origins in the Deccan region of India. Deccan Chronicle is owned by Samagrah Commercial Pvt Limited and published by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL).

Dinakaran is a Tamil daily newspaper distributed in Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded by K. P. Kandasamy in 1977 and is currently owned by media conglomerate Sun Group's Sun Network. Dinakaran is the second largest circulated Tamil daily in India after Dina Thanthi as of 2015. It is printed in 12 cities across India. Dinakaran was founded in 1977 by K. P. Kandasamy after he split from Dina Thanthi owned by his father-in-law S. P. Adithanar during the split of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. In 2005, the newspaper was acquired from K. P. K. Kumaran by Kalanithi Maran's Sun Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gemini TV</span> Indian Telugu-language TV channel

Gemini TV is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Sun TV Network. It is the first satellite TV channel in Telugu. It was launched on 9 February 1995 by the Gemini Group of Hyderabad, in association with Sun TV Network. In 1996–97, Sun TV Network acquired a controlling interest in the channel. The channel's programming consists of serials, films, film-based programs and game shows alongside some reality shows. Gemini TV HD was launched on 11 December 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murasoli Maran</span> Indian politician

Murasoli Maran was an Indian politician and an important leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party which was headed by his maternal uncle and mentor, M. Karunanidhi. A Member of Parliament for 36 years, he was made a Union Minister in three separate central governments, in charge of Urban Development in the V.P. Singh government, Industry in the Gowda and Gujral governments, and finally Commerce and Industry under Vajpayee. Apart from being a politician, Maran was a journalist and scriptwriter for films too.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalanithi Maran</span> Indian media proprietor (born 1964)

Kalanithi Maran is an Indian media proprietor. He is the chairman and founder of Sun Group, one of India's largest media conglomerates. He owns multiple television channels, newspapers, weeklies, FM radio stations, DTH services, a movie production house and 2 cricket teams. He also held a major share in the Indian airline SpiceJet from 2010 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Udaya TV</span> Indian Kannada-language TV channel

Udaya TV is an Indian Kannada language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Sun TV Network. Udaya TV is telecast in several nations like India, some Gulf countries and the United States. Udaya TV was launched on 1 June 1994.

<i>Enthiran</i> 2010 Indian film directed by S. Shankar

Enthiran (transl. Robot) is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film co-written and directed by S. Shankar. It is the first instalment in the Enthiran film series. The film stars Rajinikanth in the main dual lead role as a scientist and the robot he created. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Danny Denzongpa, Santhanam and Karunas play supporting roles. The soundtrack album and background score were composed by A. R. Rahman while the dialogues, cinematography, editing and art direction were handled by Madhan Karky, R. Rathnavelu, Anthony and Sabu Cyril respectively. The story revolves around the struggle of a scientist named Vaseegaran to control his sophisticated android robot named Chitti, after Chitti's software is upgraded to give it the ability to comprehend and exhibit human emotions and to commission it to the Indian Army. The project backfires when Chitti falls in love with Vaseegaran's girlfriend Sana, and is manipulated by Vaseegaran's mentor Bohra into becoming homicidal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Direct</span> Indian satellite television provider

Sun Direct is an Indian subscription based satellite television service provider, owned by Sun Group. It was launched in December 2007. It transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in India. Sun Direct uses MPEG-4 digital compression, transmitting HD Channels and SD Channels on MEASAT-3 at 91.5°E. Sun Direct Max, an Android set-top-box from Sun Direct, which supports 4K with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos is expected to launch in 2024.

The article speaks about the many print, television and radio networks that dominate Chennai city's mass media market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Pictures</span> Indian film production and film distribution company

Sun Pictures is an Indian film production and film distribution based in Chennai, India. It is a division of Sun TV Network a part of the Sun Group. In 2010, it started producing films, the first film was Enthiran which was a huge blockbuster. Alongside Enthiran, they have produced numerous blockbuster films such as Beast, Petta, Sarkar and Jailer.

<i>Enthiran</i> (soundtrack) 2010 album by A. R. Rahman

Enthiran is the soundtrack album to the 2010 Tamil science fiction-action film of the same name, directed by S. Shankar and starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai. The soundtrack album includes seven tracks composed by A. R. Rahman and was released on 31 July 2010 by Think Music. The release coincided with a promotional event held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Karunanidhi family are an Indian political family who have had considerable influence in the politics and cinema of Tamil Nadu. The most notable member of the family was M. Karunanidhi who was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for five terms and was the DMK party leader from 1969 till 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunrisers Hyderabad</span> Bangalore based franchise in the Indian Premier League

Sunrisers Hyderabad are a professional franchise cricket team based in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise is owned by Kalanithi Maran of the SUN Group and was founded in 2012 after the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chargers were terminated by the IPL. The team is currently coached by Daniel Vettori and captained by Pat Cummins. Their primary home ground is the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad, which has a capacity of 39,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Sunrisers Hyderabad season</span> Indian Premier League cricket team season

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are a franchise cricket team based in Hyderabad, India, which plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They were one of the eight teams competing in the 2014 Indian Premier League. This was their second outing in IPL. The team was being captained by Shikhar Dhawan but later replaced by Darren Sammy. The team was coached by Tom Moody with Waqar Younis as their bowling coach, VVS Laxman and Kris Srikkanth as the mentors for this team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun NXT</span> OTT platform by Sun TV Network

Sun NXT is an Indian subscription video on demand over-the-top streaming service run by Sun TV Network. It was launched in June 2017 and has content in six languages - Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi and Hindi. Sun NXT app is available for Android and iOS devices, Smart TVs and other devices.

Television in the Tamil language traces its origins back to the 1990s.

Kavya Kalanithi Maran is an Indian businesswoman, co-owner and head of Sunrisers Hyderabad in Indian Premier League (IPL) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20 League, and Executive Director of Sun TV Network Limited. She is the daughter of Kalanithi Maran, the chairman and founder of the Sun Group.

References

  1. ↑ "From cable TV to aviation biz, Maran's march continues". The Financial Express. 13 July 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  2. ↑ "Sun, Zee remain top on profitability charts". Rediff.com. 31 December 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Kalanithi Maran: Defying the odds". Forbes. 25 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Ahluwalia, Harveen (28 October 2016). "I&B ministry allows Sun Group to launch five new FM stations". mint. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "Sun TV history". Economic Times. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  6. ↑ Menon, Jaya (8 November 2005). "Karunanidhi pulls out stake in Sun TV". The Indian Express .
  7. ↑ Karmali, Naazneen (30 November 2009). "Strong Signal". Forbes. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  8. ↑ "Rediff India Abroad, April 28, 2006 – Kalanithi Maran: A 'Sunshine' story, by Sanjiv Shankaran and S. Bridget Leena in New Delhi". Rediff.com. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  9. ↑ Bharatan, Shilpa (27 March 2006). "Variety.com, Monday, April 24, 2006, 6:36pm PT – Sun TV shines on Exchange". Variety. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  10. ↑ "Sun, Astro deny media reports of impropriety in deal". The Economic Times. 16 February 2011. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.
  11. ↑ "PIL plea against Sun DTH services". The Hindu . 17 January 2012. Archived from the original on 18 October 2007.
  12. ↑ "Airtel DTH crosses 1 crore users". Economic Times. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  13. ↑ Jeffrey, Robin (24 March 2000). India's newspaper revolution. C. Hurst & Co. p. 79,80,114,135. ISBN   978-1-85065-383-7.
  14. ↑ "Sun acquires Dinakaran newspaper". rediff.com. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  15. ↑ "Sun TV bails out Endhiran". behindwoods.com. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  16. 1 2 Narasimhan, T. E. (13 November 2020). "Sun TV to invest around Rs 600 cr in movies and content for OTT platform". Business Standard India. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  17. ↑ "Sun Risers to represent Hyderabad in IPL". Wisden India. 18 December 2012.
  18. ↑ "Sun TV Network win Hyderabad IPL franchise". Wisden India. 25 October 2012.
  19. ↑ "Kalanithi Maran to buy 37% stake in SpiceJet". The Economic Times. 11 June 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  20. ↑ "Kalanidhi Maran buys 37.7 p.c. stake in SpiceJet". The Hindu. 13 June 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  21. ↑ "Marans to pump Rs 100 cr into SpiceJet, up stake to 48.6 pc". CNN-IBN (India). Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  22. ↑ Mishra, Laltendu (15 January 2015). "SpiceJet changes hand". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  23. ↑ "Sun Group donates 2 crores for Gaja cyclone relief work". The CSR Journal. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
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