M. Karunanidhi, who, as of August 2010, is Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, founded Kalaignar in 2007. As a Tamil-cinema playwright and screenwriter, as well, he primarily founded the network to compete with Sun TV--a part of the Sun network, which rival Kalanidhi Maran founded and currently owns.
Karunanidhi founded Kalaignar TV as an entertainment-oriented channel. Its programs mainly consist of songs, movies and comedy clips, although there is a section dedicated to local news.
Since its founding, however, Kalaignar TV has been unable to topple Sun TV from its position as the most prominent television station in Tamil Nadu, as well as the most profitable broadcaster in Asia. Moreover, as of 2010, it places third in Tamil programming, next to Sun TV and STAR Vijay.