History of NDTV in Timeline

New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) is an Indian news media company established in 1984 by Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy. It specializes in broadcast and digital news publishing, delivering news content through television and online platforms. NDTV is recognized as a prominent news organization in India.

1984: NDTV Founded

In 1984, New Delhi Television Ltd was founded by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy.

1984: New Delhi Television Founded

In 1984, New Delhi Television was founded by Radhika Roy and Prannoy Roy as a production house for news segments.

1988: Commercial News Network

In 1988, New Delhi Television was converted into a commercial news network and became India's first independent television news network. Doordarshan gave the network a weekly broadcast called The World This Week.

1989: Coverage of Indian General Election

In 1989, Doordarshan contracted NDTV to produce coverage of the Indian general election. This was the first televised live coverage of an election result in India, featuring hotlines, visual graphics, discussions and debates.

1989: Tiananmen Square Protests

In 1989, NDTV covered several major events such as the Tiananmen Square protests for the news bulletin, The World This Week.

1993: CNN Collaboration

In 1993, CNN began collaborating with NDTV to produce select coverage for the weekly news bulletin, The World This Week.

1995: Proposal to Doordarshan Accepted

In 1995, NDTV's proposal to move its production to a daily half-hour news bulletin on DD Metro, called News Tonight, was accepted by Doordarshan.

1995: The World This Week Aired Till

The World This Week aired until 1995. It was broadcast on Fridays at 10:00 pm, and was described as "the only India-based programme which looked out at the rest of the world".

1997: Rathikant Basu Joins Star Network

In 1997, Doordarshan director general Rathikant Basu left the public broadcaster and joined its multinational rival, the Star Network, leading to scrutiny of his activities during his tenure.

January 1998: CBI Files Cases Against NDTV and Officials

On January 20, 1998, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed cases against Rathikant Basu and other officials of Doordarshan, as well as Prannoy Roy of NDTV, alleging irregularities.

February 1998: Star News Launched

In February 1998, Star News was launched as the first independent 24x7 news channel in India, a result of a five-year contract between NDTV and Rupert Murdoch's Star Network.

1998: Partnership with Star India

In 1998, NDTV partnered with Star India to launch the first 24x7 news channel in India.

1999: NDTV.com Launched

In 1999, NDTV launched its own news website called ndtv.com which streamed live webcasts of its productions.

1999: Peter Mukerjea CEO of Star India

Peter Mukerjea was CEO of Star India between 1999.

2000: NDTV News Bulletin Removed from Star Plus

In 2000, the NDTV news bulletin on Star Plus was removed, which was speculated to have been a signifier of the conflict between the sales team of Star India and NDTV.

2002: Gujarat Riots Coverage and Censorship

In 2002, Star News (produced by NDTV) covered the Gujarat riots with investigative reports, in-depth analyses and live reporting, resulting in the channel being blacked out for a day by the Gujarat Government.

2002: Negotiations with Star India Fall Apart

In 2002, negotiations between NDTV and Star India fell apart due to NDTV's unwillingness to relinquish complete editorial control.

March 2003: NDTV Ends Partnership With Star News

NDTV continued producing news segments for Star News until March 31, 2003, after negotiations to continue the contract fell apart.

2003: Independent Broadcasting Network

In 2003, NDTV became an independent broadcasting network with the launch of NDTV India and NDTV 24x7.

2003: Launch of NDTV India and NDTV 24x7

In 2003, NDTV launched two channels, NDTV India (Hindi) and NDTV 24x7 (English).

December 2004: Highest Market Capitalisation

In December 2004, NDTV stood as the media company with the highest market capitalisation, at a valuation of ₹1,433 crore.

2005: Growth of NDTV

By the end of 2005, NDTV had 19 offices and studios across the country.

2006: Launch of NDTV Convergence

In 2006, NDTV founded 'NDTV Convergence', the subsidiary overlooking its digital media operations.

September 2007: Launch of NDTV Good Times

On September 7, 2007, NDTV launched its first lifestyle channel in India called NDTV Good Times through its subsidiary, NDTV Lifestyle.

2007: K. V. L. Narayan Rao Appointed CEO

In 2007, K. V. L. Narayan Rao was appointed as the CEO of NDTV.

2007: Launch of NDTV Arabia

In 2007, NDTV launched NDTV Arabia, a Dubai-based English and Hindi language news channel targeting Indian expatriates.

2007: Peter Mukerjea CEO of Star India

Peter Mukerjea was CEO of Star India until 2007.

January 2008: NDTV partners with NBCUniversal, launches NDTV Imagine

In January 2008, NDTV partnered with NBCUniversal to expand into general entertainment in India, with NBCUniversal acquiring a 26% stake. NDTV launched its first general entertainment channel, NDTV Imagine, on 21 January 2008, also launching NDTV Imagine Showbiz and NDTV Lumiere.

August 2009: Promoters' Debt Transferred

In August 2009, the chain borrowings eventually led to the promoters' debt being transferred to a shell company owned by a subsidiary of Reliance Industries.

October 2009: NBCUniversal Pulls Out of Partnership

In October 2009, NBCUniversal decided to pull out of its partnership with NDTV and sold its shares back to the company.

2009: Alleged Tax Evasion

The Income Tax Department alleged tax evasion in the financial year 2009-10.

2010: Partnership with BEXIMCO

In 2010, NDTV partnered with BEXIMCO to launch Independent Television, a 24x7 news channel in Bangladesh.

2010: Publication of Article Alleging Financial Misdemeanours

In 2010, The Sunday Guardian published an article alleging that NDTV colluded with ICICI Bank and indulged in financial misdemeanours.

February 2011: Delhi High Court Restrains Circulation of Article

In February 2011, the Delhi High Court restrained any further circulation of an article alleging financial misdemeanors.

March 2011: Exponential Growth of NDTV Convergence

Between March 2011 and March 2015, NDTV Convergence experienced significant revenue and profit growth.

March 2011: NDTV Lifestyle stake sale to Astro

In March 2011, NDTV Lifestyle was converted into a joint venture with the sale of 49% of the company’s stake to Astro, resulting in a net valuation of US$80 million.

July 2012: NDTV Sues TAM Media Research

On 25 July 2012, NDTV filed a lawsuit against TAM Media Research for data manipulation at the New York Supreme Court, alleging damages of over US$810 million due to fraud and US$580 million over eight years.

2012: Stock Options to Employees

It was noted in 2012 that NDTV had a high distribution of its wealth, with stock options worth ₹19 million or US$220,000 in 2023 being available to over 200 employees.

2012: Debt Decreased between 2012 and 2016

It was noted that while the debt had decreased considerably between 2012 and 2016, the valuation of the company had deteriorated.

2013: Digital Media Arm Reduced Losses

Between the financial years 2013–14 and 2014–15, NDTV Convergence was credited for reducing the company's losses by 50%.

2013: Closure Report Filed by CBI

In 2013, CBI filed a closure report and the Delhi High Court quashed the charges against NDTV and officials, ruling that there was no evidence of wrongdoing in the case that began in 1998.

2013: K. V. L. Narayan Rao's CEO Tenure Ends

In 2013, K. V. L. Narayan Rao's tenure as CEO of NDTV ended.

2013: Launch of Indianroots

In 2013, NDTV launched the e-commerce venture Indianroots through its subsidiary NDTV Ethnic Retail.

2013: No Ramnath Goenka Award

In 2013, the journalists of the company's news channels did not receive a Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award.

2014: Growth of Indianroots

Between 2014 and 2015, Indianroots recorded a twelve-fold jump in its gross merchandise value.

2014: Reduction in Losses due to Digital Media Arm

Between the financial years 2013–14 and 2014–15, the digital media arm reduced the company's losses by 50%.

March 2015: Revenue and Profit Growth in NDTV Convergence

Between March 2011 and March 2015, NDTV Convergence grew four-folds in revenue and ten-folds in profits, increasing its share of total consolidated income.

May 2015: Valuation of Indianroots

In May 2015, Indianroots had a valuation of US$85 million.

2015: Launch of BARC rating system

In 2015, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) launched its own rating system.

2015: Enforcement Directorate Notice

In 2015, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) served a notice on alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act.

2015: NDTV Profit becomes NDTV Prime

In 2015, the business news channel NDTV Profit became a hybrid channel featuring both business news programs during the day and entertainment programs under the name NDTV Prime on weekends and after 6pm.

2016: NDTV India Ban and Tax Reassessment Notice

In 2016, NDTV India was banned by the government, and the Income Tax Department (ITD) served a tax reassessment notice alleging tax evasion in the financial year 2009–10.

2016: Vikram Chandra's CEO Tenure Ends

In 2016, Vikram Chandra's tenure as CEO of NDTV ended.

2016: Debt Decreased between 2012 and 2016

It was noted that while the debt had decreased considerably between 2012 and 2016, the valuation of the company had deteriorated.

June 2017: NDTV Profit Pulled Off Air

On June 5, 2017, NDTV Profit was pulled off air and converted into an infotainment channel called NDTV Prime.

2017: K. V. L. Narayan Rao Re-appointed CEO Until Death

In 2017, K. V. L. Narayan Rao was re-appointed as CEO of NDTV until his death.

2017: NDTV Instituted Turnaround Plan

In 2017, NDTV instituted a turnaround plan to restructure, focusing on core assets like news broadcasting and digital teams, while reducing ancillary assets and involving layoffs.

2017: CBI Lodges Case Against NDTV

In 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) lodged a case against NDTV, raiding company offices and the founders' residence. The ICICI Bank considered the loan returned within a year.

2018: Sale of Special Occasion Ltd

In 2018, NDTV Convergence completed a sale with Wedding Junction Private Ltd and sold off Special Occasion Ltd, which operated BandBaajaa.com.

2018: No Ramnath Goenka Award

In 2018, the journalists of the company's news channels did not receive a Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award.

2019: Employee Stock Options

In 2019, NDTV had a high distribution of wealth among its employees through stock options, with around 24.4% of the shares owned through individual shareholdings of 1% or less.

2019: Suparna Singh Resigns as Interim CEO

In 2019, Suparna Singh resigned as interim CEO of NDTV.

2019: CBI Lodges New Case Against NDTV

In 2019, the CBI lodged a new case against NDTV alleging money laundering and FDI violations. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) barred the Roys from accessing the securities market and holding managerial positions for two years.

January 2020: Acquisition of Fifth Gear Ventures

In January 2020, Fifth Gear Ventures was acquired by a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra.

2020: NDTV India Viewership Survey

In 2020, a survey by Prashnam indicated that NDTV India had the highest viewership in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan.

2020: Supreme Court Quashes ITD Notice

In 2020, the Supreme Court of India quashed the ITD notice against NDTV, citing contradictory statements from the Revenue Department.

August 2022: Adani Group Acquires Stake in NDTV

In August 2022, Adani Group acquired a 100% stake in Vishvapradhan Commercial Private Limited (VCPL), gaining indirect control of 29.18% stake in NDTV through convertible warrants. VCPL then notified RRPR Holding of its intention to convert the warrants into equity shares.

August 2022: Roy's Controlling Stake Till August 2022

Until August 2022, Radhika Roy and Prannoy Roy held a controlling stake of 61.45% in NDTV, individually and jointly through RRPR Holding Pvt Ltd.

November 2022: Adani Group Launches Open Offer

In November 2022, the Adani Group launched an open offer to acquire an additional stake in NDTV, acquiring an additional 8% stake and increasing its total shareholding to above 37%.

December 2022: Roy's Sell Shareholding to Adani Group

In December 2022, Prannoy and Radhika Roy sold 27.26% of their shareholding in the news network to the Adani Group, making the conglomerate the single largest shareholder with over 64.71% stake.

2022: NDTV Pulls Out of BARC

In 2022, NDTV withdrew from the ratings agency BARC due to dissatisfaction with the changes in TV rating calculations.

2022: Acquisition by Adani Group

In 2022, the Adani Group acquired a majority stake in NDTV, leading to resignations of prominent members.

2022: Small Shareholding Distribution

In 2022, the small shareholding comprised 23.85% and were divided among 29,691 individuals and 947 entities. Four of these entities were Drolia Agencies, GRD Securities, Adesh Broking and Confirm Rebuild, which had interlinked directors and collectively held 7.11%.

March 2023: Adani Appoints New Directors

On March 27, 2023, Adani appointed U. K. Sinha and Dipali Goenka as independent directors for a two-year term. Sinha was also designated as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board.

2023: Stock Options to Employees

In 2012, stock options worth ₹19 million or US$220,000 in 2023 were available to over 200 employees.

2023: NDTV Mobile App News Services

In 2023, NDTV provides news services through its mobile app, offering an advertisement-free experience for ₹550 per annum. The NDTV app competes with other news apps in India.

2023: Market capitalisation

In December 2004, NDTV stood as the media company with the highest market capitalisation, at a valuation of ₹51 billion or US$600 million in 2023.

2024: CBI Investigation Closed

In 2024, after the Adani Group takeover, the CBI investigation found no wrongdoing in ICICI bank loan and closed its corruption and fraud case against NDTV founders.