Kalanidhi Maran
Encyclopedia
Kalanithi Maran is the Chairman and Managing Director of Sun Network
, which is the most profitable Television network in Asia.
In June 2010, he acquired Spice Jet which was the most profitable airlines in India. While his television channels and newspapers are primarliy concentrated in South India
, his FM radio stations, DTH service and Airlines are spread across the country.
and the brother of India's former textile
minister Dayanidhi Maran
. His father's mother is the sister of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.He married Kaveri a native of coorg(karnataka) in 1991 and has a daughter named Kavya (Born 1992)http://www.tehelka.com/story_main31.asp?filename=Ne090607Upclose.asp. His wife is the Joint Managing Director of Sun network. He proved to be successful in spite of his father's political rivals ruling the state for most of the period since he entered the media business. He also emerged as No. 1 in neighboring states where his competitors include politicians and business men from those states.
However in 2010, a criminal case against Kalanithi Maran was filed by Azhagiri owned Cable TV distrubiton company Jak communications.
Sun Network
Sun TV Network is an Indian media company based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, part of Kal Media Services, Sun Group. It has been named as Asia's most profitable media corporations and the largest TV network. Established on April 14, 1993, it created and owns a variety of television channels and...
, which is the most profitable Television network in Asia.
In June 2010, he acquired Spice Jet which was the most profitable airlines in India. While his television channels and newspapers are primarliy concentrated in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
, his FM radio stations, DTH service and Airlines are spread across the country.
Early life
- Schooling at Don Bosco, EgmoreDon Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary SchoolDon Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School is located in Egmore, Chennai. The school was established in July 1958 with an initial strength of 140 students and Fr.Mallon as the Principal and has since grown to a strength of over 2700 students...
, Chennai[Madras]. - In Loyola College, ChennaiLoyola College, ChennaiLoyola College is a Jesuit institution in Chennai, India. The college admits undergraduates and post-graduates and offers degrees in the liberal arts, sciences and commerce. It is an autonomous institution affiliated with the University of Madras.-History:...
he became the student’s union chairman and led an agitation on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue http://www.tehelka.com/story_main31.asp?filename=Ne090607Upclose.asp. - Has an MBA from the University of ScrantonUniversity of ScrantonThe University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Catholic and Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a...
. - Returning to India in 1987, he worked for KungumamKungumamKungumam is a Tamil weekly magazine published in Chennai, India. It is owned by Kalanidhi Maran's Sun Network. According to the Kungumam emerged as the top-selling Tamil weekly magazine overtaking historical market leaders like Kumudam and Ananda Vikatan. Also, is the second best selling...
Tamil Magazine owned by his family in the late 1980s.
Business expansion
- In 1990 he started a monthly video (VHS) news magazine in Tamil called Poomaalai which was stopped in 1992 due to piracy.
- He founded Sun TV on April 14, 1993 with an investment of US $86,000 from a bank loan.
- His net worth reached $10 million by 1995.
- His net worth reached $100 million by 2000.
- His net worth reached $1 billion by 2005.
- By 2010, he was the 17th richest Indian with net worth of US$ 4 Billion .
- He is the highest paid business man in India.
- He has won Young Businessman awards from CNBC, ERNST & Young.
- Prestigious USA based ForbesForbesForbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
magazine named him the "Television king of southern India". - He was among the few representatives at a roundtable with the visiting then U.S. President Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. - Sun TV was listed on the Bombay Stock ExchangeBombay Stock ExchangeThe Bombay Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located on Dalal Street, Mumbai and is the oldest stock exchange in Asia. The equity market capitalization of the companies listed on the BSE was 1.63 trillion as of December 2010, making it the 4th largest stock exchange in Asia and the 8th largest...
on April 24, 2006 upon raising $133 million.
Business entities
- Sun NetworkSun NetworkSun TV Network is an Indian media company based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, part of Kal Media Services, Sun Group. It has been named as Asia's most profitable media corporations and the largest TV network. Established on April 14, 1993, it created and owns a variety of television channels and...
- South Indian Television Channels - Sun Direct DTHSun Direct DTHSun Direct is an Indian direct broadcast satellite service provider. Its satellite service, launched on 2005, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in India. Sun Direct uses MPEG-4 digital compression technology, transmitting on INSAT 4B at 93.5°E. and MEASAT-3 at 91.5°E...
- Direct to Home broadcasting Service. - SpicejetSpiceJetSpiceJet is a low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon, India. It began service in May 2005 and by 2008, it was India's second-largest low-cost airline in terms of market share. SpiceJet was voted as the best low-cost airline in South Asia and Central Asia region by Skytrax in...
- Airlines - Suryan FMSuryan FMSuryan FM 93.5Sun Network owns two Radio brands: Suryan FM in Tamil Nadu and for other territories Red FM.The top slot is a result of a carefully planned thoroughly enjoyable, round-the-clock, wholesome entertainment-oriented package and there is a substantial localization of content to retain the...
- Tamil Radio - Red FMSuryan FMSuryan FM 93.5Sun Network owns two Radio brands: Suryan FM in Tamil Nadu and for other territories Red FM.The top slot is a result of a carefully planned thoroughly enjoyable, round-the-clock, wholesome entertainment-oriented package and there is a substantial localization of content to retain the...
- MultiLingual Indian Radio - Sun PicturesSun PicturesSun Pictures is a film distribution and production studio unit of Chennai, based Sun Network owned by Kalanidhi Maran. Founded in 2008, it started distributing low-budget Tamil-language films, Kadhalil Vizhunthen being the first, and holds the credit of producing India's costliest film Enthiran...
- Tamil Movie Production house - DinakaranDinakaranDinakaran is a Tamil daily newspaper distributed in India. , Dinakaran is the largest Tamil daily newspaper in terms of net paid circulation, which was 1,235,220...
- Tamil daily news paper - Tamil MurasuTamil MurasuTamil Murasu is a Singapore based Tamil language newspaper. Launched in 1935 by Thamizhavel G. Sarangapani, Tamil Murasu is Singapore's only Tamil language newspaper...
- Tamil evening news papers - Kunkumam, Muthaaram, Vannathirai, Kunguma Chimizh - Tamil magazines
- Sun 18 - to distribute its channels through cable, DTH, IPTV, HITS and MMDS.
Family
He is the son of the Former Union Minister of commerce Murasoli MaranMurasoli Maran
Murasoli Maran was a prominent Tamil politician in India, and an important leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party which is 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...
and the brother of India's former textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
minister Dayanidhi Maran
Dayanidhi Maran
Dayanidhi Maran is a member of parliament in India’s 15th Lok Sabha from Chennai Central constituency and Additional Deputy Leader of DMK. He was also the Minister for Textiles in the Union Cabinet, and has also served as the as the Minister for Communications and Information Technology before that...
. His father's mother is the sister of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.He married Kaveri a native of coorg(karnataka) in 1991 and has a daughter named Kavya (Born 1992)http://www.tehelka.com/story_main31.asp?filename=Ne090607Upclose.asp. His wife is the Joint Managing Director of Sun network. He proved to be successful in spite of his father's political rivals ruling the state for most of the period since he entered the media business. He also emerged as No. 1 in neighboring states where his competitors include politicians and business men from those states.
Dispute with Karunanidhi's family
In May 2007 followers of Karunanidhi's son M K Azhagiri attacked Maran's newspaper office after a survey in the newspaper claimed people prefer M K Stalin over Azhagiri. Later in Dec 2008 it was claimed that dispute between Maran and Karunanidhi Families was resolved.However in 2010, a criminal case against Kalanithi Maran was filed by Azhagiri owned Cable TV distrubiton company Jak communications.