Overview
NDTV (New Delhi Television Limited) is an Indian news media company headquartered in New Delhi. Founded in 1988 by economist and journalist Prannoy Roy along with Radhika Roy, it is one of India's earliest private television production companies and operates a network of news channels in English and Hindi. The company is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.
| Name | New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV) |
|---|---|
| Type | Public company |
| Industry | News broadcasting, media |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founders | Prannoy Roy, Radhika Roy |
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
| Key channels | NDTV 24x7, NDTV India, NDTV Profit |
| Listings | BSE, NSE |
| Parent (majority) | Adani Group (since 2022) |
Background
NDTV began as a content production house at a time when Doordarshan was the sole television broadcaster in India. Its early flagship programme, The World This Week, presented by Prannoy Roy, was widely watched on Doordarshan during the late 1980s and early 1990s and is often credited with shaping the format of Indian television journalism.
Through the 1990s, NDTV produced news bulletins and current affairs programming for other broadcasters, including Star News, before launching its own channels.
History and timeline
- 1988: NDTV founded by Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy.
- 1988–1997: Production of The World This Week and election analysis programmes for Doordarshan.
- 1998: NDTV begins producing 24-hour news content for Star News under a contract with Star TV.
- 2003: Contract with Star ends; NDTV launches its own channels — NDTV 24x7 (English) and NDTV India (Hindi).
- 2005: Launch of NDTV Profit, a business news channel.
- 2008: Launch of digital arm NDTV Convergence, which operates the NDTV.com website.
- 2022: The Adani Group, through VCPL, acquired a controlling stake in NDTV; the founders Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy stepped down from the board of the parent company.
Channels and operations
- NDTV 24x7: English-language news channel.
- NDTV India: Hindi-language news channel.
- NDTV Profit: Business and financial news channel.
- NDTV.com: Online news portal in English and Hindi, with verticals covering politics, business, sport, technology, and entertainment.
The network has historically been associated with election coverage, opinion polling, debates, and long-form interview programming. Anchors and journalists associated with NDTV over the years include Vikram Chandra, Barkha Dutt, Sonia Singh, Ravish Kumar, Nidhi Razdan, and Sreenivasan Jain, among others.
Ownership change
In August 2022, Adani Group's media arm AMG Media Networks, via Vishvapradhan Commercial Private Limited (VCPL), exercised conversion rights from a long-standing loan agreement to acquire an indirect stake in NDTV, followed by an open offer for additional shares. By the end of 2022, the Adani Group had become the majority shareholder, and the founders ceased to be promoters of the company. Sanjay Pugalia was appointed CEO and editor-in-chief of AMG Media Networks during this period.
Significance
NDTV is regarded as a pioneer of independent television journalism in India, having helped introduce professionalised news production, opinion polling, and election-night formats to Indian audiences. It has received numerous Indian and international journalism awards over the decades and has been the subject of academic and journalistic study on the development of Indian television news.
Related topics
- Prannoy Roy
- Radhika Roy
- Adani Group
- Doordarshan
- Television in India
- Media of India
- Ravish Kumar
- Barkha Dutt