Network18 Group

Network18 Media & Investments Limited

Type	Public
Traded as	BSE: 532798 NSE: Network18
Industry	Mass media
Founded	1993 (1993)
Headquarters	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Key people	Saurabh Pandey (Chairman)
Products	Broadcasting Publishing Film Entertainment Web portals
Revenue	₹3,403 crore (US$470 million) (2016)
Number of employees	7,500
Parent	Reliance Industries
Divisions	TV18 Viacom 18 (JV of Viacom and TV18) (51%) [1]
Website	www.network18online.com

Network18 Media & Investments Limited, informally referred to as the Network18 Group, is an Indian media and entertainment group.^[2] TV18 Broadcast Limited is the broadcasting arm of Network18.

History

The company was incorporated as a private limited company on 16 February 1996. In April 2006, the name was changed from SGA Finance and Management Services Private Limited to Network18 Fincap Private Limited and subsequently in November 2006, it was converted into a Public Limited company. Network18 got listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange on 2 February 2007. The shares of the company of face value of Rs 5 each opened at Rs 312.10 at the NSE and at Rs 300 at the BSE. The same year in December, its name was changed from Network18 Fincap Limited to Network18 Media & Investments Limited.

The Network 18 Group announced a restructuring plan to create a two listed entity structure for the group in July 2010. The restructuring became effective on 10 June 2011 with the approval of the Delhi High Court and the group successfully completed the re-alignment of its business operation into 2 sections – Network18 and TV18. Network18 undertakes the digital and publishing side of the business and TV18 contains the television assets of the group.^[3]

In Jan 2012, there was a large investment by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Limited in a complex deal that offered a possibility that Ambani-held Independent Media Trust (IMT) might eventually gain a controlling interest.^[4] In July 2014, the ownership was transferred to Independent Media Trust. On 29 May 2014, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) announced it would be acquiring control in Network 18 Media & Investments Ltd, including its subsidiary TV18 Broadcast Ltd. The board of RIL approved funding of up to Rs. 40 billion to Independent Media Trust (IMT), of which RIL is the sole beneficiary, for acquisition of control in Network 18 and its subsidiaries.^[5] On 8 July 2014, RIL stated that it has completed the Network18 take-over.^[6]

In 2015 Network 18 under ownership of Reliance Industries took over ETV Network for about ₹2,053 crore deal.^[7]

TV 18

TV18 Broadcast Limited is the broadcasting arm of Network18. TV18 operates India’s largest selection of News channels across 15 language and 26 states; with channels like CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz in Business News and CNN News18, News18 India in General News. Through its JV Viacom18, it also operates a number of entertainment channels across genres, including leading premium local channels like Colors, Nickelodeon and MTV. Through Panorama, a subsidiary of TV18, the network operates a selection of 13 regional news channels under the News18 brand name. TV18 also operates a joint venture with the Lokmat Group which houses the Marathi news channel News18 Lokmat. To cover the global audience & sizable NRI population, TV18 operates News18, a twenty-four hour television news channel designed to give the world largest democracy, the latest news.

Network 18

Network 18's digital content and commerce segment includes a portfolio of brands catering to a wide range of interests and services, including news and entertainment, markets and finance, online shopping and ticketing, and mobile phone services and applications.^[13]

Websites:

• moneycontrol.com
• firstpost.com
• news18.com
• cnbctv18.com

Notes and references

External links

• Official website