Sun Group

For the Vietnamese company, see Sun Group (Vietnam).

Sun Group
Company typeCorporate group
IndustryMedia conglomerate
Founded1990; 34 years ago (1990)
HeadquartersMurasoli Maran Towers, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Kalanithi Maran (Chairman)
Services
OwnerKalanithi Maran
Subsidiaries
Websitewww.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.

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]

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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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.