Maran family takes home Rs 175 cr pay, pockets Rs 443 cr dividend as Sun TV profits dip

New Delhi: The Annual Report shared by Sun TV Network shows a striking concentration of wealth inside the promoter family, with both Kalanithi Maran, Executive Chairman, and Kavery Kalanithi, Executive Director and wife of Maran, drawing Rs 87.5 crore each in remuneration during the fiscal year 2024-25 (ended March 31, 2025). 

Furthermore, the annual report also highlighted Maran alone controlling 75% of the company’s equity through 29,55,63,457 shares. 

The company paid Rs 591.13 crore for the mentioned year as interim dividends. Aligned with this, Maran received Rs 443.35 crore in dividends,  a figure that corresponds almost exactly to 75% of the interim dividend pool. 

The disclosures come in the backdrop of the family feud that became public earlier this year. As reported by BestMediaInfo.com, Lok Sabha MP Dayanidhi Maran had accused his elder brother of consolidating control of Sun TV through preferential allotments at nominal prices in the early 2000s. 

He alleged that this structure deprived other heirs of their share and allowed Kalanithi and Kavery to benefit disproportionately from the broadcaster’s profits.

Though the matter was later settled after mediation within the family, the public dispute cast a sharp light on Sun TV’s financials. 

The fresh report shows that value extraction at the company comes through two main channels: large-scale dividends linked to Kalanithi Maran’s dominant equity stake and substantial managerial remuneration to both the Executive Chairman and the Executive Director.

For context, Sun TV reported total income of Rs 4,543.96 crore in FY 2024-25 against Rs 4,630.19 crore in the previous year. Profit after tax stood at Rs 1,654.46 crore, compared with Rs 1,875.15 crore in FY 2023-24. The chairman’s Rs 87.5 crore remuneration is equal to 5.3% of the standalone profit, while the dividend payout to him alone is more than a quarter of the year’s profit.

In Q1 FY25, Sun TV reported a modest 1.77% year-on-year (YoY) decline in revenue to Rs 1,290.28 crore from Rs 1,313.55 crore, though revenue jumped 37% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) from Rs 941.99 crore in Q4 FY25. 

The company’s PAT stood at Rs 529.10 crore, a 5.4% YoY decline from Rs 559.32 crore, but showed a sharp 42.7% QoQ recovery from the exceptional loss of Rs 55.8 crore in Q4 FY25.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) was Rs 619 crore, down 14% YoY from Rs 719 crore. 

Advertisement revenue slipped to Rs 289.94 crore, an 11.3% YoY fall from Rs 323.77 crore, while domestic subscription revenue rose to Rs 470.12 crore from Rs 425.79 crore in the same quarter last fiscal.

Seen together, the annual report and the BestMediaInfo coverage sketch a predictable dynamic. Concentrated ownership means dividends and large cash transfers track directly with shareholding. 

Where the promoter holds 75% of equity, the promoter reaps roughly 75% of a large interim dividend pot. At the same time, significant board-level pay sits in the governance pages, which can complicate public understanding of how value is allocated inside the group.