Sun TV to discontinue Kannada news channel

Given the competition the channel is facing, viewership share of Udaya News is also relatively low

Sun TV Network, one of the major television broadcasters in the country is shutting down its Kannada news channel Udaya News with plans to convert it into another genre. The company has been operating the channel for the past 19 years and is now compelled to close down it as it is not viable, said sources.

According to company officials, Udaya News will be discontinued in the next couple of months and use that space for another genre like general entertainment channel. There were reports that the company has filed a document with the Commissioner of Labour and others in Karnataka, in which it has mentioned that the news division has been incurring substantial losses over the past couple of years. Given the competition the channel is facing, the viewership share of Udaya News is also relatively low. The decision to close down the news division is for business reasons. The company is not able to justify the losses accumulated and continues to incur, it said.

A company official refused to comment on the reason behind the decision, adding that it is a matter of speculation. It currently has six channels in Kannada — Udaya TV, Udaya Movies, Udaya Music, Udaya Comedy, Udaya News and Chintu TV. Udaya News is said to be one of the oldest news channels in Karnataka.