SUN TV has been the leader in terms of programming. Its serial Chitthi which began transmission in 2000 and ended in 2001 is one of the serials that evoked mass viewership. All the channels which had programmes at 9.30 pm daily suffered a severe drop in viewership because of Chitthi. When the daily soap came to an end the entire state was rooted to their sets on the final day and women wept unabashedly seeing the climax. Its TRP ratings were as high as that of a Hindi serial, and that was another milestone in marketing for the channel. Radhika who was behind the serial as producer and played the title role is a household figure. The channel’s live coverage of the funeral of Sivaji Ganesan, the midnight arrest of former CM Karunanidhi were yet another feather in the cap for SUN TV. The graphic details of police excesses in the house of the former CM and the shabby treatment meted out to him were all recorded by the SUN TV crew. The visuals whipped up mass sympathy for the Ex CM and proved disastrous for Jayalalitha.

In terms of marketing, the channel managed to get their serials in the noon to 2 pm slot prime time rates and TRPs, a feat which even Hindi channels have not been able to achieve. The next milestone was the launch of KTV , a movies channel. Within ten days it reached the number 2 slot and put other channels behind it. Vilai enna, a programme that brings to the viewer the market price of essentials including vegetables. It acted as a control on price rise because it evoked consumer resistance. Koteeswaran , a quiz show on the lines of KBC and hosted by actor Sarath Kumar made the 9 pm slot popular with those who liked quiz programmes. With RAJ TV three serials are topping the TRPs. Aarthi directed by K Rangaraj and produced by AVM has Sithara in the lead role. The channel which faced a crisis with the exit of K Balchander from their camp has now covered up with two other serials. Maadi veetu lady , a humourous serial with Venu Aravind and Aishwarya in the lead is a hit and Sruthi with Vindhya in the title role is yet another successful daily soap on this channel. It’s about a girl facing a death sentence. Karpagam a daily soap with Vindhya is yet another successful serial. The channel got plaudits for the programme held in open air to remember the late thespian Sivaji.

Jaya TV’s only success has been coming out with an effective counter propaganda against SUN TV’s coverage of the Karunanidhi arrest. It telecast the police video coverage of the arrest and managed to create a doubt in the minds of the public . The only snag was that the reaction was a bit late. On the serial front, the channel got a major boost with K Balchander shifting his base and doing Anni for them. The serial is a major draw. Hari Giri Assembly a satirical talk show featuring celebrities from all walks of life is a hit. Kotesswari, a quiz show hosted by Kushboo started when the craze for quiz shows was over but surprisingly the charismatic personality alone is pulling in the viewers.

Vijay TV’s takeover by Star( and now it is Star Vijay) resulted in its revamping of programmes which has boosted the TRP’s. Kushboo who came in ‘ Marumagal (daughter-in-law) has managed to create the 9 pm slot a must viewing for TV viewers. She has produced this serial, which is rivaling those on SUN. The 8 pm slot daily on any channel is considered a risk because of the news programme on SUN, at the same time Vijay pitted Kavyanjali produced by Ekta Kapoor in this time slot and managed to notch up a decent TRP. It’s a major triumph in marketing of the channel. Apart from this the channel has created a trend of putting up posters for their serials and having autos going about with publicity posters of serials. Ekta Kapoor is emerging as the sole saviour of this channel with yet another serial Kudumbam Oru Kovil becoming popular and managing to edge its way up in the TRPs.

—Ayyappa Prasad