The ABP Group is an Indian media and publishing company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is one of the oldest and most prominent media houses in India, with interests spanning newspapers, magazines, books and television news. The group is best known as the publisher of the Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika and the English daily The Telegraph, and as the parent of the ABP News Network.
Key facts
| Type | Private media conglomerate |
|---|---|
| Industry | Print and broadcast media, publishing |
| Headquarters | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Founding family | Sarkar family |
| Major newspapers | Anandabazar Patrika, The Telegraph |
| Television | ABP News Network (ABP News, ABP Ananda, ABP Majha, ABP Asmita, ABP Sanjha, ABP Ganga, etc.) |
| Languages | Bengali, English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi |
Overview
The group's flagship publication, Anandabazar Patrika, was launched on 13 March 1922 and has grown into one of the largest-circulated Bengali-language newspapers. Around this masthead, the Sarkar family built a diversified portfolio of print titles, magazines and book publishing operations under the ABP brand, derived from the initials of Anandabazar Patrika.
Print publications
Apart from Anandabazar Patrika, the group publishes The Telegraph, an English-language broadsheet launched in 1982 that became the principal English daily of eastern India. The group has also produced a range of magazines covering general interest, business, sport, children's literature and women's interests, including Desh, a long-running Bengali literary magazine, Anandamela, a children's magazine, and Sananda, a women's magazine. ABP also runs a book-publishing imprint that has issued works by leading Bengali authors.
Broadcasting
The group's television interests are organised under the ABP News Network. The network operates several news channels in different Indian languages:
- ABP News – Hindi national news channel (formerly known as Star News, rebranded in 2012).
- ABP Ananda – Bengali news channel.
- ABP Majha – Marathi news channel.
- ABP Asmita – Gujarati news channel.
- ABP Sanjha – Punjabi news channel.
- ABP Ganga – Hindi regional channel for Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The Hindi, Marathi and Bengali channels were earlier operated as a joint venture with the Star India group under the Star News brand, before the Sarkar family took full control and rebranded them under the ABP identity in 2012.
History
- 1922: Anandabazar Patrika founded in Calcutta.
- 1933: Launch of the literary magazine Desh.
- Mid-20th century: Expansion into magazines including Anandamela and Sananda.
- 1982: Launch of The Telegraph, English daily.
- 2003–2012: Joint operation of news channels with Star India under the Star News brand.
- 2012: Rebranding of the news channels under the ABP identity, formally creating ABP News Network.
Significance
The ABP Group is regarded as one of the most influential media houses in eastern India and a significant national presence through its Hindi news operations. Anandabazar Patrika has shaped Bengali public discourse for more than a century, while The Telegraph is widely read in policy, academic and business circles. The group's multilingual television footprint gives it substantial reach across northern, western and eastern India.
Related topics
- Anandabazar Patrika
- The Telegraph (India)
- ABP News
- ABP Ananda
- Desh (magazine)
- Media of India
- Kolkata
References
- Wikidata entity: Q55400290