Sun TV Network to launch Marathi GEC on 17 October
In 2019, Sun TV Network had put the launch of Sun Marathi on hold due to slowdown in the economy
The new channel will debut with three hours of original fiction content every day from Monday to Saturday. The six fiction shows will air from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm for six days a week. Sun Marathi's prime-time will kick off with Nandini at 6.30 pm followed by Sundari (7 pm), Jau Nako Dur Baba (7.30 pm), Abhalachi Maya (8 pm), Kanyadan (8.30 pm), and Sant Gajanan Shegaviche (9 pm).
Sun Marathi is a free to air (FTA) channel and will be available on leading DTH and cable platforms besides DD Free Dish. The key players in the Marathi GEC genre include Star Pravah, Zee Marathi, Colors Marathi, and Sony Marathi. According to Pitch Madison Report 2021, the Marathi regional channels had collected Rs 900-1100 crore worth of ad revenue in 2020.
Maharashtra/Goa have the highest number of TV households at 25.5 million, as per BARC India TV Universe Estimates 2020. The average viewership for Marathi GEC stood at 3940 AMA'000s for Week 1 to 4, 2021.
In 2019, Sun TV Network had put the launch of Sun Marathi on hold due to slowdown in the economy. As per the original plan, the channel was expected to launch by the end of calendar year 2019. The company had plans to invest Rs 150 crore in launching Sun Marathi.
“See, that is because of the kind of situation which now exists. Because we all had our view of the Indian economy booming and firing on all cylinders, so we are treading with caution now. We're unlikely to go and make a big splash at this point in time. So -- well, please wait until we -- you'll hear from us. For the time being, it's put on hold,” Sun TV Network Group CFO SL Narayanan had told analysts at that time.
The company had invested Rs 150 crore in Sun Bangla in the first year of the channel's operation. As per the company management, the channel is operating at 120 GRPs.
