The Times Group

All you want to know about The Times Group

Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd.
Type Private
Founded Flag of India Mumbai, India (1838)
Headquarters New Delhi
Key people Indu Jain
Samir Jain
Vineet Jain
Industry Broadcasting, Publishing, Media, Internet, Entertainment
Products Films, Television,Magazines, Newspapers, Books, Websites
Revenue ▲$700 million USD (Aug 2007)
Employees 7,000 (2007)

The Times Group is the largest media services conglomerate in India [1]. It is headed by brothers Samir and Vineet Jain. It reaches out from:

  • 11 publishing centers [2]
  • 15 printing centers [2]
  • 55 sales offices
  • Over 7000 employees
  • 5 dailies [2] including two of the largest in the country with approx 4.3 million copies circulated daily
  • 2 lead magazines [2]
  • 29 niche magazines
  • Reaching 2468 cities and towns [2]
  • 32 Radio Stations [1]
  • Turnover in excess of USD 700 million

Contents

Businesses

Its major brands include:

Subsidiaries

Its subsidiary companies include:

ENIL & TIML

Times Infotainment Media Limited & Entertainment Network India Limited that together control

  • Radio Mirchi National network of Private FM stations
  • 360 Degrees Events
  • Times Outoors Outdoors
  • Mirchi Movies Limited Filmed Entertainment. Producers of BEING CYRUS, VELLITHERAI, MANJADIKURU

TIL

Times Internet Limited which has

  • Indiatimes portal
  • Times of Money - an online payments portal specializing in remitting money to India and other parts of the world

Times Global Broadcasting Limited

This was a Joint Venture with Reuters. No longer a joint venture as Reuters has exited.

Times Business Solutions

  • Times Jobs, a jobs portal [3]
  • SimplyMarry, a matrimonial portal [3]
  • Magic Bricks, a real estate portal [3]
  • Yolist, free classifieds portal [3]
  • Ads2Book, online classifieds booking system for print publications [3]

World Wide Media

World Wide Media - A magazine joint venture between BCCL and BBC magazines

Private Treaties

The Times Group also acquires equity stakes of small and fast-growing companies in lieu of advertising. These companies range from real estate to online brokerages. These Private Equity stakes (termed as Private Treaties [4] ) have often lead to speculation that favourable editorial coverage is being provided to the investee company.

TIML Golden Square

TIML Golden Square Limited which purchased Virgin Radio (soon to be called Absolute Radio) in the United Kingdom[5]. This company is a direct subsidiary of BCCL (not through TIML or ENIL) [6].

A brief history of The Times

1838: The first edition appears on November 3, 1838, known as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce. The newspaper is published twice a week under editor J.E. Brennan. It is basically a city paper reflecting the interest of Bombay's business community.[7]

1846: The newspaper changes hands and Dr. George Buist is appointed editor.

1850: Shareholders decide to increase the share capital and the paper is converted into a daily. [8]

1859: Bombay Standard and Chronicle of Western India merges into The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce to form Bombay Times & Standard [9]

1861: Editor Robert Knight amalgamates The Bombay Times & Standard and Bombay Telegraph & Courier to form The Times of India and gives it a national character. [7]

1880: The Times of India Weekly Edition is launched. This was later called The Times of India Illustrated Weekly and finally as The Illustrated Weekly of India in 1923. [10]

1890: Editor Henry Curwen buys The Times of India in partnership with Charles Kane.

1892: Following the death of Henry Curwen, T. J. Bennett becomes the editor and enters into a partnership with F.M. Coleman to form a joint stock company - Bennett, Colemen & Co. Ltd. (BCCL).

1907: In the newspaper's first price war under editor Stanley Reed, the price is cut from 4 annas to 1 anna, and circulation rises 5 times.

1946: For the first time, the paper transfers to Indian ownership. Ramakrishna Dalmia buys out Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd for Rs. 2 crores.

1948: Sahu Jain Group become the owners of the company. Shanti Prasad Jain is the first chairman of the group.

1950: Delhi edition is launched with K. Gopalswami as the first Indian editor.

1952: Filmfare launched. [7]

1959: Femina is launched. [7]

1960: Sahu Ramesh Chandra Jain joins BCCL

1961: The Economic Times is launched.

1984: Samir Jain and Vineet Jain join BCCL.

1987: Printing of The Times of India from Kandivili Press.

1990: The Times School of Marketing is established as an in-house training school to feed the group

1991: BBC features The Times of India among the world's six great newspapers.

1993: BCCL starts production of television software.

1996: The Times of India crosses 1 million mark in circulation.

1998: BCCL enters into music market with Times Music.

1999: Indiatimes webportal launched; BCCL enters music retailing business with Planet M.

2000: The Times of India crosses the 2 million mark in circulation.

2000: Timesofmoney - JV with Citibank.

2001: Radio Mirchi - Nationwide Private FM Broadcasting. [11]

2001: 360 Degrees - Event Management Arm launched.

2002: Times Outdoor - Outdoor Advertising & Billboard Marketing.

2003: Times Classifieds - Classifieds site catering to web audiences, the group publications and also publications from other countries like Sri Lanka.

2004:

  • Launch of the Jobs portal Times Jobs. [3]
  • Television Business launched with the launch of a lifestyle and entertainment channel called z00m[7].

2005: Launch of a Matrimonials website TimesMatri[3]

2006:

  • Launch of a television News Channel called Times Now in collaboration with Reuters.
  • Radio Mirchi holding company ENIL (Entertainment Network India Limited) lists on the Indian stock markets. It is the first Times Group company to List on the bourses.
  • Launch of a Property services Portal Magic Bricks
  • TimesMatri is rebranded as Simply Marry [3]
  • A new holding company by the name of Times Business Solutions is created. This company controls the brands TimesJobs SimplyMarry (earlier called TimesMatri) and MagicBricks
  • TimesofMoney launches Remit2Home, to cater to Global Remittance Market

2007:

  • Launch of The Times of India - Kannada
  • Launch of Bangalore Mirror

2008:

  • Launch of SimplyMarryZine.com
  • Launch of The Times of India, Chennai Edition [12]
  • Launch of Pune Mirror
  • Acquisition Virgin Radio in the UK [13] [14] [15]

External links & References

  1. ^ a b Virgin Radio owner sets his dial for the web Financial Times
  2. ^ a b c d e About Us Times Music
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h About Us Times Business Solutions Limited
  4. ^ Private Treaties
  5. ^ Virgin rebranded as Absolute Radio Financial Times
  6. ^ Times of India group buys UK's Virgin Radio for £53.2 million radioandmusic.com
  7. ^ a b c d e About Us zOOm
  8. ^ Australian Library Collections Libraries Australia
  9. ^ South Asian Newspapers in Australian Libraries: a Holdings List National Library of Australia
  10. ^ Australian Library Collections Libraries Australia
  11. ^ ENIL enil.com
  12. ^ TOI’s launch all set to heat up Chennai livemint.com
  13. ^ Sale of Virgin Radio to TIML for £53.2 million London Stock Exchange
  14. ^ Times Group buys UK's Virgin Radio for Rs 448 cr The Economic Times
  15. ^ Times of India company buys Virgin Radio Holdings Ltd Campaign India
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times_Group"

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