Sun TV Family Feud: List of Kalanidhi Maran-Owned Assets Worth Rs.25,000 Crores

Dayanidhi Maran, a former Union Minister and DMK lawmaker, has exposed a potential rift within the Maran family by sending a legal notice to his elder brother Kalanithi Maran, the chairman and managing director of the Sun TV Network, valued at nearly Rs.25,000 crores.

Dayanidhi accused Kalanidhi of fraudulently seizing control of the company through a disputed share allotment in 2003. Dayanidhi demanded restoration of the company's shareholding structure to its pre-September 2003 status, when the Maran family and the late Karunanidhi held equal shares in the company.

If this dispute goes to the court, it will pit Kalanithi Maran against his brother Dayanidhi and the Karunanidhi family. As the most-watched channel in Tamil Nadu, Sun TV has benefitted the most from its close relationship with the political establishment.

Now, let's look closer at the list of companies that are under the influence of Kalanidhi Maran.

• Sun TV Network Limited, which holds 37 TV channels
• Sun Pictures—Production House
• Sun Direct—DTH Service
• Sun Distribution Services
• KAL Publications—a company that publishes magazines.
• KAL Cables—cable distribution company
• KAL Radio

Alongside these, they also have the Dinakaran newspaper and also own the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Sunrisers Eastern Cape and previously were part-owners of SpiceJet.