History of NDTV in Timeline

New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) is an Indian news media company established in 1984 by Prannoy and Radhika Roy. It operates in both broadcast and digital news publishing. 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.

1988: Commercial News Network Conversion

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

1989: Coverage of Indian General Election

In 1989, NDTV produced coverage of the Indian general election, which was the first televised live coverage of an election result in India. It was also the first election result telecast NDTV produced.

1989: Tiananmen Square Protests Coverage

In 1989, NDTV's news bulletin covered major events like the Tiananmen Square protests.

1993: Collaboration with CNN

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 presented a proposal to Doordarshan to move its production to a daily half-hour news bulletin on the second Doordarshan channel, DD Metro. The proposal was accepted and the bulletin, News Tonight, launched.

1995: End of The World This Week

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

1997: Doordarshan Director General Resigns

In 1997, Doordarshan director general Rathikant Basu left the public broadcaster and joined its multinational rival, the Star Network.

January 1998: CBI Files Cases Against Officials

On 20 January 1998, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed several cases against Rathikant Basu, five other officials of the public broadcaster, and Prannoy Roy alleging "irregularities" in its dealings with NDTV.

February 1998: Launch of Star News

In February 1998, Star News was launched as the first independent 24x7 news channel in India, resulting from 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: Launch of ndtv.com

In 1999, NDTV launched its own news website called ndtv.com which streamed live webcasts of its productions and generated 55,000 daily views within a month of its launch.

1999: Peter Mukerjea becomes CEO of Star India

In 1999, Peter Mukerjea became CEO of Star India.

2000: Removal of NDTV News Bulletin on Star Plus

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

2002: Gujarat Riots Coverage

In 2002, Star News covered the Gujarat riots with investigative reports, in-depth analyses and live reporting of events. The channel's coverage resulted in it being blacked out for a day by the Gujarat Government.

2002: Negotiations Between NDTV and Star India Fell Apart

In 2002, negotiations between NDTV and Star India fell apart and the contract was not renewed because Star was unwilling to grant complete editorial control to NDTV.

March 2003: End of Star India Contract

NDTV kept producing news segments for Star News till 31 March 2003.

2003: Independent Broadcasting Network

In 2003, NDTV became an independent broadcasting network, launching the Hindi and English language news channels NDTV India and NDTV 24x7 simultaneously.

2003: Launch of NDTV India and NDTV 24x7

In 2003, NDTV launched two channels: NDTV India, a Hindi language news channel, and NDTV 24x7, an English language news channel.

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: Formation of NDTV Convergence

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

September 2007: Launch of NDTV Good Times

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

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

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

2007: Launch of NDTV Arabia

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

2007: Peter Mukerjea leaves CEO of Star India

In 2007, Peter Mukerjea left CEO of Star India.

August 2009: Promoters' Debt Transferred to Reliance Subsidiary

In August 2009, 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 withdraw from its partnership with NDTV and sold its stake back to the company.

2009: Tax Reassessment Notice

In 2016, the Income Tax Department (ITD) served a tax reassessment notice alleging tax evasion in the financial year 2009–10.

2010: Partnership with BEXIMCO to launch Independent Television

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

2010: The Sunday Guardian 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 the article after NDTV sued for ₹25 crore.

March 2011: Exponential Growth of NDTV Convergence

Between March 2011 and March 2015, NDTV Convergence experienced substantial revenue and profit growth, increasing its share of total consolidated income.

March 2011: Joint Venture with Astro

In March 2011, NDTV Lifestyle was converted into a joint venture with the sale of 49% of the company's stake to Astro.

July 2012: Lawsuit Against TAM Media Research

On July 25, 2012, NDTV filed a lawsuit against TAM Media Research for data manipulation.

2012: Decrease in debt between 2012 and 2016

In 2017, NDTV instituted a turnaround plan and it was noted that while the debt had decreased considerable between 2012 and 2016, the valuation of the company had deteriorated.

2012: Stock Options Available to Employees

It was noted in 2012 that NDTV had a high distribution of its wealth, with stock options worth ₹10 million available to over 200 employees (15% of the workforce).

2013: CBI Files Closure Report

In 2013, CBI filed a closure report and the Delhi High Court quashed the charges against Rathikant Basu, five other officials of the public broadcaster, and Prannoy Roy, ruling that there was no evidence of wrongdoing.

2013: K. V. L. Narayan Rao tenure ends

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

2013: Launch of Indianroots

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

2013: Digital media arm reduces losses

In 2013, the digital media arm was credited for reducing the losses of the company by 50% between the financial years 2013–14 and 2014–15.

2013: Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards

In 2013, the journalists of NDTV didn't receive Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards.

2014: Digital media arm reduces losses

In 2014, the digital media arm was credited for reducing the losses of the company by 50% between the financial years 2013–14 and 2014–15.

2014: Indianroots Growth

In 2014–15, Indianroots recorded a twelve-fold jump in its gross merchandise value.

March 2015: Growth of NDTV Convergence

Between March 2011 and March 2015, NDTV Convergence grew four-folds in terms of revenue and ten-folds in terms of profits.

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 NDTV for 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: Vikram Chandra tenure ends

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

2016: NDTV India Banned and Subsequently Unbanned

In 2016, the Hindi language news channel NDTV India was banned by the government on allegations that the channel had threatened national security, but the ban was withdrawn the following day after widespread criticism.

2016: Decrease in debt between 2012 and 2016

In 2017, NDTV instituted a turnaround plan and it was noted that while the debt had decreased considerable 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 solely under the designation of NDTV Prime.

2017: K. V. L. Narayan Rao Death and Re-Appointment

In 2017, K. V. L. Narayan Rao, who had been re-appointed as CEO, died.

2017: NDTV Instituted Turnaround Plan

In 2017, NDTV initiated a turnaround plan, restructuring to focus on core news broadcasting and digital teams, while reducing ancillary assets and undergoing layoffs.

2017: CBI Lodges Case Against NDTV

In 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) lodged a case against NDTV on allegations that it had defrauded ICICI Bank, leading to raids on the company's offices and the founders' residences.

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 the wedding arrangements portal BandBaajaa.com.

2018: Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards

In 2018, the journalists of NDTV didn't receive Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards.

2019: Suparna Singh Resignation as Interim CEO

In 2019, Suparna Singh, who had been appointed as interim CEO, resigned.

2019: Employee Stock Options

In 2019, approximately 24.4% of NDTV's shares were owned through individual shareholdings of 1% or less, highlighting a significant distribution of wealth among its employees.

2019: New CBI Case and SEBI Bar on Roys

In 2019, the CBI lodged a new case against NDTV on allegations of money laundering and FDI violations. 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 NDTV India had the highest viewership in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan, and the second highest in Madhya Pradesh.

2020: Supreme Court Quashes ITD Notice

In 2020, the Supreme Court of India quashed the ITD notice against NDTV, citing contradictions in the Revenue Department's statements.

August 2022: Adani Group Acquires Stake in NDTV

In August 2022, Adani Group acquired a 100% stake in VCPL, which held warrants convertible to a 29.18% stake in NDTV. This indirect acquisition through VCPL's warrants gave Adani Group the potential to control a significant portion of NDTV.

August 2022: Roy's Controlling Stake Before Adani Acquisition

Until August 2022, Radhika and Prannoy Roy held a controlling stake of 61.45% in NDTV, with individual and joint holdings through RRPR.

November 2022: Adani Group Increases Stake in NDTV

In November 2022, Adani Group launched an open offer and acquired an additional 8% stake in NDTV, increasing their total shareholding to over 37%.

December 2022: Roy's Sell Shares to Adani Group

In December 2022, Prannoy and Radhika Roy sold 27.26% of their shareholding in NDTV to the Adani Group, which already had over a 37% stake in the media company, 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 changes in TV rating calculations after the TRP scam.

2022: Adani Group Acquisition

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

2022: Small Shareholding in NDTV

In 2022, the small shareholding in NDTV was 23.85% and was 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: Appointment of Independent Directors

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

2023: NDTV Mobile App Subscription

In 2023, NDTV's mobile app offers news services with a subscription of ₹550 per annum for an ad-free experience, competing with other news apps in India.

2023: Market capitalization equivalent

In December 2004, NDTV stood as the media company with the highest market capitalisation, at a valuation of ₹1,433 crore (equivalent to ₹51 billion or US$590 million in 2023).

2023: Stock Options Worth Equivalent

It was noted in 2012 that NDTV had a high distribution of its wealth, with stock options worth ₹10 million (equivalent to ₹19 million or US$220,000 in 2023) being available to over 200 employees (15% of the workforce).

2024: CBI Investigation Closed

In 2024, after the Adani Group takeover, the CBI investigation found no wrongdoing in the ICICI bank loan sanctioning of Rs 375 crores and closed its corruption and fraud case against NDTV founders Prannoy and Radhika Roy.