Southern television broadcaster Sun Direct, the 80:20 joint venture between the Chennai-based Maran family and the Astro Group of Malaysia, has announced its Mumbai launch.

It will also soon launch services in Hindi speaking markets, as ell. With Sun promising to shine over Mumbai, a market dominated by TataSky, the Zee Group's Dish TV and Reliance Big TV, with Airtel having come in in October, viewers in the metro can expect to see a lot of entertaining action in the DTH segment.

Sun Direct has launched a multi-media launch campaign designed by McCann Erickson. The media mix includes TV, print, outdoor, BTL and merchandising. The marketing budget for this fiscal year is Rs 150 crore and Rs 50 crore of that will be spent on the pan India launch.

According gto Tony D' Silva, COO, Sun Direct, the biggest differentiator for the brand will be the pricing point which is lower than what is being charged by the other brands.

"Because of our understanding of consumer behaviour, we have priced and positioned it very differently," avers D'Silva.

The company is offering a package of Rs499 which has 130+ channels for a five months subscription. It will charge a one-time installation fee of Rs1,000, with set top boxes currently being provided free. Sun also has a 'My Pack' with a bundle of regional channels for markets with strong regional affinity including Maharashtra.

The other point of differentiation will be its gras roots level distribution. "It will be available in most basic shops such as telephone booths, cycle repair shops and video parlours," said D' Silva.

Sun Direct was launched in Tamil Nadu in December, 2007 and is now available in the four southern states. It has 14 offices all over India. In the south, Sun Direct claims a 65-per cent market share with iver two million subscribers.

It is targeting a market share of 35-40 per cent market share in Mumbai. The company aims to close the fiscal year with three million subscribers.