overview

landmarks

     overview

This page considers Indian media conglomerate Bennett, Coleman & Company (BCCL), best known as publisher of The Times of India (claimed to be world's largest-circulation English newspaper).

It covers -

• the group
• holdings
• studies

     the group

Bennett, Coleman (which operates in India as the Times Group) includes The Times of India, The Economic Times (India's most-read business paper) and several radio and television stations. It is unrelated to the New York Times and London Times.

BBCL is controlled by the Sahu Jain family, led by matriarch Indu Jain and sons Samir and Vineet. As of mid-2007 the group had a net worth of 34.1 billion rupees (US$800 million), with operating margins of 30%.

The Sahu Jains gained their dominant stake through relationship with Jain industrialist Ramkrishna Dalmia (1893-1978), father-in-law of Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain (1911-1977). Dalmia established a sugar mill in Bihar during the 1930s, the core of what became the Rohtas Industries conglomerate. He expanded into manufacture of cement during the thirties, leveraging that position - and major support for Gandhi's nationalists - during the wave of post-independence restructuring. Between 1946 and 1952 Dalmia and associates gained control of Bennett Coleman, the Punjab National Bank, Raza Sugar, Bharat Insurance, Lahore Electric, Dhrangadhra Chemicals, Buland Sugar and Indian National Airways. The group also had interests in asbestos, biscuits, coal mining, distilleries, dairy products, jute, plywood and paint manufacturing.

Control of BBCL passed to the Sahu family in 1948, with growth being powered by the flagship Times of India (available in city-specific editions and supplements) and other publications such as Science Today, the Evening News, and Indrajal Comics (now defunct). The group's expansion into commercial broadcasting (centred on the Times FM radio network) was initially a victim of Indian politics, with withdrawal of licences in 1998. An auction of spectrum in 2000 saw BBCL build a chain of over 30 FM stations under the Radio Mirchi label.

BBCL has attracted criticism for recent "private treaty" 'partnership' deals in which it gains equity stakes in a wide range of enterprises in return for free advertising.

In June 2008 Bennett agreed to buy UK commercial broadcaster Virgin Radio Holdings from SMG for US$105 million (£53.2 million), its first major foreign acquisition.

Acquisition was made through TIML Golden Square, UK-based subsidiary of Times Infotainment.

     holdings

Holdings include

• daily Times of India (numerous supplements and city-specific editions)
• The Economic Times (numerous supplements and city-specific editions)
• Mumbai Mirror
• Bangalore Mirror
• daily Navbharat Times
• Sandhya Times
• daily Maharashtra Times
• Femina magazine
• Femina Girl magazine
• Filmfare magazine (joint venture with BBC Worldwide)
• TIMES NOW (24-hour English tv news channel as collaboration with Thompson Reuters)
• Times Syndication Service
• Radio Mirchi (FM radio network, over 33 stations)
• Mirchi Movies (film and video production)
• Times Music recording label
• Planet M music store chain
• Zoom tv channel
• internet portals such as Indiatimes, MagicBricks, Timesjobs and Simplymarry
• Times Events
• Times Outdoors (billboard and other advertising)
• Tatva advertising.

    studies

There has been no major English language study of BBCL, the Times of India or the Sahu family. Information is provided in India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-Language Press, 1977-1999 (New York: St Martins Press 2000) by Robin Jeffrey

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