Star Vijay is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel operated by Disney Star, a subsidiary of Disney India. The channel telecasts programmes such as serials, reality shows & Tamil films.

Star Vijay
TypeTelevision channel
CountryIndia
Broadcast areaWorld wide
NetworkDisney Star
HeadquartersChennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Programming
Language(s)Tamil
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerDisney India
Key people
  • Krishnan Kutty
    (EVP & Channel Head)
  • Balachandran Rathinavel
    (Business Head)
  • Pradeep Milroy Peter
    (Programming Head)
Sister channelsDisney Star Channels
History
Launched24 November 1994; 30 years ago (1994-11-24)
Former names
  • Golden Eagle Communication (GEC)
    (until 1995)
  • Vijay TV
    (1995–2001, 2021–present, International Feed only)
  • Star Vijay
    (2001–present, India)
Links
WebsiteStar Vijay on Disney+ Hotstar
Availability
Streaming media
Disney+ HotstarIndia

History

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The channel was first launched by N. P. V. Ramasamy Udayar on 24 November 1994, as Golden Eagle Communication (GEC).[1][2] That same year it applied for the line-up of Singapore Cable Vision becoming the first Tamil channel on offer.[3] United Breweries Group acquired the channel in 1995 and renamed it as Vijay TV.[4] The UTV Group bought the controlling interest from United Breweries Group in 1999 for 180 million.[5][6] In 2001, Star India took over the channel and rebranded it as Star Vijay.[7] Star acquired 51 percent stake in Vijay TV with UTV holding the remaining 49 percent.[8] In 2004, UTV Software Communications offloaded its entire 44 percent stake in Vijay TV to Star India for ₹31 crores.[7][9]

This channel, along with Star One, was launched in Hong Kong in 2007.[10]

The High-Definition feed, Star Vijay HD, was launched on 29 May 2016.[11]

On 25 August 2016, its sibling channel Star Vijay Super was launched, which airs non-stop films and legacy television shows and later got revamped into a full movie channel with a tagline "Dhool Cinema Dhinam Dhinam".[12]

On 4 October 2020, it launched a music channel named Star Vijay Music.[13][14]

Programming

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Sister channels

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Star Vijay Music was an Indian Tamil language music pay television channel operated by Disney Star a subsidiary of Disney India, that was launched on 4 October 2020 during the grand launch of Bigg Boss season 4 by Kamal Haasan. The channel was replaced and rebranded as Star Vijay Takkar from 10 October 2022 onwards.[15]

Reception

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When Star India took over the channel from UTV Communications, the channel's revenue, shares and advertising rates increased.[16] A revamp in 2017 brought with it a new logo and launched Bigg Boss Tamil Season 1, after which the audience share of the channel—which had been 10%-15%—increased by 10%, being the second most-watched Tamil television channel.[17]

In week 48 of 2020, Star Vijay became the most watched Tamil GEC in prime time while being the second most watched Tamil GEC overall after Sun TV.[18] In week 50, it garnered its highest viewership ratings of 7,14,002 AMAs (average minute audience (in hundreds)) being the fifth most watched Indian television channel.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "From Booze To News". Outlook India.
  2. ^ "Why UTV bought Vijay TV". Indian Television.
  3. ^ "Cable Vision signs on Indian TV channel". The Straits Times. 8 June 1995. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  4. ^ G. C. SHEKHAR (15 February 1996). "New satellite channels exploit public fixation in Tamil Nadu". India Today.
  5. ^ "Star, UTV to sign a deal on Vijay TV handover Wednesday?". Indian Television.
  6. ^ "Vijay TV relaunch date fixed". Indian Television.
  7. ^ a b "Star India buys out UTV's stake in Vijay TV". The Economic Times.
  8. ^ "Star restructuring Vijay TV – Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media.
  9. ^ "UTV sells Vijay TV pie to Star". Rediff.
  10. ^ "STAR launches Star One and Vijay in Hong Kong". Live Mint. 16 March 2007.
  11. ^ "Star Vijay launches Vijay HD". The Times of India. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  12. ^ "Vijay Super to be revamped as Tamil movie channel". Television Post.
  13. ^ "Broadcasters see value in new channel launches despite covid". Live Mint. 23 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Bigg Boss Tamil Season 4 premiere: Kamal Haasan adds some color to grim 2020". India Today.
  15. ^ Editorial (6 October 2020). "Star Vijay launches Tamil Music Channel "Vijay Music" on 4th October". MediaNews4U. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  16. ^ "Vijay Tv Revenues Increase Post-Star Alliance". Business Standard India. 29 July 2002.
  17. ^ Kandavel, Sangeetha; Vijayakumar, Sanjay (9 August 2017). "Vijay TV gets a 'Bigg' viewership bump". The Hindu.
  18. ^ "Hindi GEC viewership dips due as IPL 2020 begins". The Economic Times. 6 October 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  19. ^ "WEEK 50 – DATA: Saturday, 12th December 2020 To Friday, 18th December 2020". Broadcast Audience Research Council. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020.
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