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Sun Group

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Sun Group
Company typePrivate
IndustryMass media
Founded1992; 32 years ago (1992)
FoundersKalanithi Maran
HeadquartersMurasoli Maran Towers, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Area served
India
Key people
Kalanithi Maran (Chairman)
ProductsPublishing
Broadcasting
Radio
Film
Cable television
Sports franchising
DivisionsSun TV Network
Websitewww.sun.in

Sun Group is an Indian media conglomerate company based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.[1][2] It was founded by Kalanithi Maran in 1992.[3]

Divisions

Television

In 1990, Maran started a monthly video (VHS) news magazine in Tamil called Poomaalai which was stopped in 1992. Sun TV is the first and flagship channel of the group started on 14 April 1993.[4][5][6][7] Sun TV was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange on 24 April 2006 upon raising $133 million.[8] Sun Group owns 33 TV Channels across four South Indian languages Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.[3] Sun Direct is a DTH service provider established in 2008.[9][10] Sun direct is the fourth largest in India DTH service provider as of March 2015.[11] Sumangali Cable Vision (SCV) is a cable distribution company owned by Sun network.

Radio

The group owns 48 FM radio stations across India broadcasting under the names Suryan FM and Red FM.[3]

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.[12][13] It is the second largest circulated Tamil daily in India after Dina Thanthi.[14][15] 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 Rajnikanth starrer Endhiran. It has distributed more than 20 Tamil films starting from Kadhalil Vizhunthen.[16]

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] Tom Moody is the head coach and David Warner is the captain of the team.[19]

Year Indian Premier League Champions League Twenty20
2013 Playoffs (4/9) Group stage (7/12)
2014 Group stage (6/8) DNQ
2015 Group stage (6/8) DNQ
2016 Champions

Aviation

Sun Group acquired 37.7% stake in Indian low cost carrier Spicejet in June 2010.[20][21] In 2012, Despite the losses, Kalanithi Maran increased his stake in Spicejet by investing ₹1 billion (US$12 million) in the airline.[22] In January 2015, the Sun group sold its entire shareholding to the airline's founder Ajay Singh and transferred control.[23]

Controversies

In May 2007, followers of M Karunanidhi's son M. K. Alagiri attacked Maran's newspaper office after a survey in the newspaper claimed that M. K. Stalin was the preferred successor to M Karunanidhi.[24] Later in 2008, the dispute between Maran and Karunanidhi families was resolved.[25] Government investigator Central Bureau of Investigation filed charges against founder Kalanidhi Maran for fraudulent in the takeover of Aircel by Maxis Communications.[26] In a status report to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on telecom, CBI said mala fide considerations and an "illegal gratification" of ₹550 crore (US$66 million) were behind the "active intervention" of Dayanidhi in curbing the business interests of Aircel's former owner C Sivasankaran. Alleging the Marans of arm-twisting former Aircel owner, Sivasankaran, into selling Aircel to Maxis, the CBI report states that an illegal gratification of Rs 5,499,601,793 was accepted as quid pro quo through his brother Kalanithi Maran in the garb of share premium invested in Sun Direct, owned by Kalanithi Maran.[27][28][29]

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 c "Kalanithi Maran: Defying the odds". Forbes. 25 November 2015.
  4. ^ "Sun TV history". Economic Times. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  5. ^ Menon, Jaya (8 November 2005). "Karunanidhi pulls out stake in Sun TV". The Indian Express.
  6. ^ Karmali, Naazneen (30 November 2009). "Strong Signal". Forbes. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ Bharatan, Shilpa (27 March 2006). "Variety.com, Monday, April 24, 2006, 6:36pm PT – Sun TV shines on Exchange". Variety. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  9. ^ "Sun, Astro deny media reports of impropriety in deal". The Economic Times. 16 February 2011.
  10. ^ "PIL plea against Sun DTH services". TheHindu. 17 January 2012.
  11. ^ "Airtel DTH crosses 1 crore users". Economic Times. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  12. ^ Jeffrey, Robin (24 March 2000). India's newspaper revolution. C. Hurst & Co. p. 79,80,114,135. ISBN 978-1-85065-383-7.
  13. ^ "Sun acquires Dinakaran newspaper". rediff.com. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  14. ^ Judy Franko (13 March 2010). "Tamil daily Dinakaran takes over the lead". exchange4media.com. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  15. ^ "India's 15 most-read newspapers". rediff.com. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  16. ^ "Sun TV bails out Endhiran". behindwoods.com. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  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. ^ "SRH appoint Muralitharan as bowling coach". www.iplt20.com. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  20. ^ "Kalanithi Maran to buy 37% stake in SpiceJet". The Economic Times. 11 June 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  21. ^ "Kalanidhi Maran buys 37.7 p.c. stake in SpiceJet". The Hindu. 13 June 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  22. ^ "Marans to pump Rs 100 cr into SpiceJet, up stake to 48.6 pc". CNN-IBN (India). Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  23. ^ Mishra, Laltendu (15 January 2015). "SpiceJet changes hand". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  24. ^ "Warring sons shadow DMK's sun". CNN-IBN. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  25. ^ "Marans reconcile with Karunanidhi".
  26. ^ "Indian police charge ex-minister, Malaysian tycoon in telecoms scandal". The Rakyat Post. Kuala Lumpur. 30 August 2014. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Hello? Who will bell this cat". Tehelka Magazine. 8. 4 June 2011. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ Chauhan, Neeraj (27 July 2012). "Marans got Rs 550cr bribe in Aircel-Maxis deal: CBI". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ "Probe over, CBI soon to file chargesheet against Marans". The Pioneer. 11 September 2012. Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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