Type Public company Genre Media Key people Bob van Dijk (CEO) Founder J. B. M. Hertzog | Traded as JSE: NPN Area served Global Headquarters Cape Town, South Africa Founded 12 May 1915 | |
 | ||
Industry Ecommerce, Internet, Media Stock price NPN (JSE) 2,28,797.00 ZAC +7,012.00 (+3.16%)20 Mar, 5:00 PM GMT+2 - Disclaimer CEO Bob van Dijk (1 Apr 2014–) Subsidiaries OLX, Allegro, MultiChoice, Media24, MWEB, Tradus Profiles | ||
Naspers hot or not
Naspers is a broad-based multinational internet and media group, offering services in more than 130 countries. Its principal operations are in Internet communication (classifieds, online shopping, marketplaces, online payments and online services), video entertainment and print media. With a market capitalisation of over $66 billion it is the largest company in Africa and the 7th largest Internet company in the world.
Contents
Naspers hot or not
Brands and subsidiaries
Major brands owned by Naspers include:
It also has minority investments in listed, integrated social-network platforms Tencent (SEHK 0700) and Mail.ru (LSE: MAIL).
History
Naspers was founded in 1915 under the name De Nationale Pers Beperkt (National Press Ltd) as a publisher and printer of newspapers and magazines. A group of prominent Cape Afrikaners decided in December 1914 at a meeting in Stellenbosch to form a publishing company that would support Afrikaner nationalism. It was founded by W.A. Hofmeyr, a well-known Cape lawyer. Jannie Marais, a prominent Stellenbosch farmer purchased a quarter of the 20,000 £1 shares in the new company. Naspers first published the Afrikaans language daily De Burger (later renamed Die Burger) in June 1915 which was followed by its first magazine De Huisgenoot (later Die Huisgenoot) in 1916.
In 1918 the company added book publishing to their portfolio which made it one of the most significant media hubs in Africa at the time. In 1985 the company launched the first pay-TV system in the region, M-Net, which marked the company's development from a publisher into a media company. Nasionale Pers officially changed its name to the currently used 'Naspers' in 1998.
Since 1994, the company has been listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in South Africa and has designated to be part of the Top 10 index over the past number of years. They also have a Level I American Depository Receipt programme (ADR programme) listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and trade on an over-the-counter (OTC) basis. International investors account for around 50% of their shareholder base.
The investment in Tencent has skyrocketed the Naspers stock 500% since 2010 due to the success of Tencent and has labelled the company the most valuable in Africa (May 2015) with a market cap of almost USD$66 billion. A unit of international media group Naspers, namely its subsidiary Myriad International Holdings owns a 28.7% stake in Digital Sky Technologies (DST), the Russian firm behind investments in notable Internet companies like Facebook, Groupon and Zynga. China’s Tencent also made a strategic investment (to the tune of $300 million) in DST, 35% of Tencent being owned by Naspers.
Apartheid
Naspers involvement in the establishment of apartheid in South Africa is mired in controversy. Several directors and editors of the firm and its subsidiaries ended up in high office, including D. F. Malan, H. F. Verwoerd and P. W. Botha.
On 25 July 2015, the company issued an apology to the victims and survivors of the apartheid system, but did not acknowledge any involvement in drafting legislation and advocacy on behalf of race supremacist ideologues.