Network18 Group


Network18 Media & Investments Limited, informally referred to as the Network18 Group, is an Indian media and communications company that is majority owned by Reliance Industries. Since a restructuring in 2020, it is now the parent company of TV18, DEN Networks and Hathway Cable and Datacom. Network18 holds 37.3% stake in GTPL Hathway and a majority stake in Hathway Bhawani through its ownership of Hathway. It is also the majority owner of Viacom 18, a joint venture with ViacomCBS.
The group was founded and majority owned by Raghav Bahl & Ritu Kapur in 1993, after India liberalised its economy and media ownership laws in early 1990s. In the 2000s, the Group grew into one of the largest collection of media properties in India through debt financing and international licensing deals with global media brands. By late 2011, according to a LiveMint article, the Network18 group had amassed a large debt, was running in loss and banks were unwilling to lend the group additional capital. Bahl's Network18 group sought capital from the Reliance Industries in 2012, then closed loss-making ventures, laid off employees, and trimmed the size of the Group over the next two years. On 29 May 2014, under the terms of its 2012 financing, Reliance Industries took over the Network18 empire to integrate it with its 4G, Jio wireless content-distribution strategy. The Group's leadership team is headed by chairperson Adil Zainulbhai and managing director Rahul Joshi in 2019.
At its peak, the Network18 Group has included media and internet-based media outlets such as in.com, IBNlive.com, Moneycontrol.com, Firstpost.com, Cricketnext, Homeshop18, bookmyshow.com, print magazines such as Forbes India and Overdrive, TV channels such as Colors and some in partnership with international media groups such as NBC, CNN, IBN7, MTV, Nickelodeon, and CNBC. According to Network18 Group's 2018 annual report, it had 700 million viewers, employed 1,200 journalists for sourcing content, 3,000 employees on its payroll, and 20 television channels in 15 Indian languages.

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 ₹5 each opened at ₹312.10 at the NSE and at ₹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.
In Jan 2012, there was a large investment by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries in a complex deal that offered a possibility that Ambani-held Independent Media Trust might eventually gain a controlling interest. In July 2014, the ownership was transferred to Independent Media Trust. On 29 May 2014, RI announced it would be acquiring control in Network 18 Media & Investments Ltd, including its subsidiary TV18 Broadcast Ltd. The board of RI approved funding of up to ₹40 billion to Independent Media Trust, of which RI is the sole beneficiary, for acquisition of control in Network 18 and its subsidiaries. On 8 July 2014, RI stated that it has completed the Network18 take-over.
In 2015 Network 18 under ownership of Reliance Industries took over ETV Network for about 20.53 billion deal.

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. 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.

Television channels

Network 18 operates the following channels.
CategorySub-CategoriesChannelLanguageRegion

News Channels		Business News Channels

CNBC TV18EnglishIndia

News Channels		Business News Channels

CNBC TV18 Prime HDEnglishIndia

News Channels		Business News Channels

CNBC AwaazHindiIndia

News Channels		Business News Channels

CNBC BajarGujaratiGujarat, India

News Channels		General News ChannelsCNN News18EnglishIndia

News Channels		General News ChannelsNews18 IndiaHindiIndia

News Channels		General News ChannelsNews18 UrduUrduIndia

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 LokmatMarathiMaharashtra, India

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 RajasthanRajasthani, HindiRajasthan, India

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 Uttar Pradesh UttarakhandHindiUttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand, India

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 Madhya Pradesh ChhattisgarhHindiMadhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, India

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 Bihar-JharkhandHindiBihar & Jharkhand, India

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 GujaratiGujaratiGujarat, India

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 BanglaBengaliWest Bengal, India

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 OdiaOdiaOdisha, India

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 KannadaKannadaKarnataka, India

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 KeralaMalayalamKerala, India

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 Tamil NaduTamilTamil Nadu, India

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 Assam/North-EastAssamese, EnglishAssam, India

News Channels		Regional News ChannelsNews18 Punjab-Haryana-HimachalPunjabi, HindiPunjab, Haryana & Himachal Pradesh, India

News Channels		Upcoming Regional News ChannelsNews18 GoaEnglish, KonkaniGoa, India

News Channels		Upcoming Regional News ChannelsNews18 BharatHindiIndia

News Channels		Upcoming Regional News ChannelsNews18 J&KKashmiri, HindiJammu & Kashmir, India
EntertainmentHindi General EntertainmentColorsHindiIndia
EntertainmentHindi General EntertainmentColors HDHindiIndia
EntertainmentHindi General EntertainmentColors RishteyHindiIndia
EntertainmentHindi MoviesColors CineplexHindiIndia
EntertainmentHindi MoviesColors Cineplex HDHindiIndia
EntertainmentYouth ChannelMTV IndiaHindi, EnglishIndia
EntertainmentYouth ChannelMTV HD+Hindi, EnglishIndia
EntertainmentMusicMTV BeatsHindiIndia
EntertainmentMusicMTV Beats HDHindiIndia
EntertainmentMusicVH1EnglishIndia
EntertainmentMusicVH1 HDEnglishIndia
EntertainmentEnglish EntertainmentComedy CentralEnglishIndia
EntertainmentEnglish EntertainmentComedy Central HDEnglishIndia
EntertainmentEnglish EntertainmentColors InfinityEnglishIndia
EntertainmentEnglish EntertainmentColors Infinity HDEnglishIndia
EntertainmentKids EntertainmentNick HD+English, HindiIndia
EntertainmentKids EntertainmentNickelodeonEnglish, HindiIndia
EntertainmentKids EntertainmentNick Jr.English, HindiIndia
EntertainmentKids EntertainmentSonicEnglish, HindiIndia
EntertainmentFactual EntertainmentHistory TV18English, HindiIndia
EntertainmentFactual EntertainmentHistory TV18 HDEnglish, HindiIndia
EntertainmentFactual EntertainmentFYI TV18English, HindiIndia
EntertainmentFactual EntertainmentFYI TV18 HDEnglish, HindiIndia
EntertainmentShoppingHome Shop 18English, HindiIndia
EntertainmentShoppingShop CJEnglish, HindiIndia
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors MarathiMarathiMaharashtra, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors Marathi HDMarathiMaharashtra, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors KannadaKannadaKarnataka, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors Kannada HDKannadaKarnataka, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors SuperKannadaKarnataka, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors Kannada CinemaKannadaKarnataka, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors BanglaBengaliWest Bengal, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors Bangla HDBengaliWest Bengal, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors Bangla CinemaBengaliWest Bengal, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors OdiaOdiaOdisha, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors GujaratiGujaratiGujarat, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors Gujarati CinemaGujaratiGujarat, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors TamilTamilTamil Nadu, India
EntertainmentRegional EntertainmentColors Tamil HDTamilTamil Nadu, India
EntertainmentUpcoming ChannelColors JazbaatHindiIndia
EntertainmentUpcoming ChannelColors Jazbaat HDHindiIndia
EntertainmentUpcoming ChannelColors Rishtey HDHindiIndia
EntertainmentUpcoming ChannelColors StudioEnglishIndia
EntertainmentUpcoming ChannelColors Marathi CinemaMarathiMaharashtra, India
EntertainmentUpcoming ChannelColors TeluguTeluguAndhra Pradesh, Telangana, India
EntertainmentUpcoming ChannelColors MalayalamMalayalamKerala, India
EntertainmentUpcoming ChannelColors PunjabiPunjabiPunjab, India
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Network 18

Network 18's content includes news and entertainment, markets and finance, online shopping and ticketing, and mobile phone services and applications.