MUMBAI: Surya TV, the Malayalam channel from the Sun fold, claims to have established its hold over audiences in Kerala with its shows sweeping the top 30 in the ratings stakes.

Quoting TAM figures, Surya claims to have toppled reigning channel Asianet from the top slot withing a year and a half of its launch. forty-seven of the channel's offerings made it to the top 60 programme list in C&S households in Cochin for the week ended 19 November, claims Surya. According to Surya general manager programmes, J Clement, strategic programming, a good movie bank and state of the art technology all helped in achieving the edge over its rivals.

On the C&S overall audience share front, Surya has maintained an average share of 38 per cent, whereas the second spot stands at 19 per cent, claims the channel.

Surya, started in October 1998 by Kalanithi Maran's all-powerful Sun Network, began life as a serious competitor to ruling channel Asianet and has lived up to its threat thus far. Asianet, once the last word in Malayalam programming, has been trying its own hand at innovative programming in a bid to woo back audiences lost to rival channels.