Naspers

Naspers, originally known as Die Nasionale Pers, was established on May 12, 1915. It started as a newspaper publisher with De Burger and later expanded its operations to include magazines and book publishing.

Following the success of Die Burger, Naspers added its first magazine title in 1916, a monthly publication called De Huisgenoot. This expansion into magazine publishing further solidified Naspers' presence in the media industry.

In 1917, Naspers purchased the weekly Bloemfontein-based Afrikaan newspaper Het Volksblad, marking its first expansion beyond the Cape Province.

Naspers took a step towards further expansion in 1918 by founding its book publishing operations as De Burger Boekhandel, broadening its scope beyond newspapers and magazines.

In 1925, Naspers expanded its newspaper business by launching Die Volksblad in Bloemfontein. This newspaper, like Die Burger, maintained an editorial policy in support of the National Party, becoming a prominent daily publication.

In 1937, Nasionale Pers established Voortrekkerpers in the Transvaal to support the National Party by publishing Die Transvaler.

In 1965, Naspers launched their first English-language magazine, Fairlady.

In 1974, the Afrikaans newspaper Beeld started publishing daily for the Johannesburg market.

In 1984, Naspers acquired Drum Publications, publisher of City Press, Drum, and True Love & Family magazines focused on a black readership.

In 1985, Nasionale Pers and several South African media companies established M-Net, an electronic pay-television media business. M-Net was later listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in 1990.

In 1986, Naspers formed a partnership with other South African publishing companies to launch pay-TV service M-Net, which proved successful and expanded internationally throughout the 1990s.

In 1991, M-Net began building its satellite network to extend coverage to the entire sub-Saharan African region, enabling satellite broadcasting the following year.

M-Net expanded into Europe in 1992 by acquiring a 40 percent stake in pay-television group FilmNet, marking the company's international presence.

In 1993, M-Net was split into two companies: M-Net as a pay-television station and MultiChoice Limited for subscriber management, signal distribution, and cellular telephone activities.

On September 12, 1994, Nasionale Pers was listed on the JSE (Johannesburg Stock Exchange), marking a significant milestone for the company.

In 1997, MIH Ltd. founded M-Web Holdings, an internet service provider that also operates the popular South African blogging platform, M-Web Blogspace.

In 1998, the company officially changed its name to Naspers to reflect its expansion beyond publishing. It also launched its Media24 brand and online bookseller Kalahari.net.

In September 1999, Naspers acquired a 49% stake in EvaluNet. This strategic move aimed to strengthen Naspers' presence in the market.

In January 2000, Naspers merged its private education activities with another South African private education business to establish Educor Holdings Limited. This merger solidified Naspers' position as a key player in the private education sector.

In May 2001, Naspers acquired a 46.5% stake in Tencent Holdings Limited, the operator of China’s leading instant messaging platform, QQ, which proved to be a game-changer for Naspers as Tencent's success soared in the following years.

Naspers made its debut on the NASDAQ stock exchange on December 24, 2002.

On November 26, 2003, Naspers ventured into foreign pay-TV markets, enhancing its presence in the media industry.

An offer made by Naspers on December 29, 2003, indicated its interest in forming broader partnerships within the industry.

In June 2004, Naspers announced its intention to expand its operations to China as its earnings reached R2.4 billion.

On 31 March 2005, Naspers consolidated its print media, book publishing, and private education assets into the Media24 division to streamline the group's structure.

In May 2006, Naspers purchased a 30% stake in the Brazilian media group Editora Abril for $422 million US. Editora Abril is known for publishing numerous titles, with Revista Veja being one of the most prominent.

Also in January 2007, Naspers acquired a 30% stake in Mail.ru, a Russian company known for Mail.ru Agent, an instant messaging service for desktop PCs and mobile devices. In November 2007, Naspers increased its ownership by acquiring an additional 2.6% of Mail.ru.

In October 2007, Naspers acquired Gadu-Gadu, a listed Polish instant messaging business with approximately 8 million registered accounts.

In March 2008, Naspers acquired Tradus, formerly known as QXL and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Tradus provides an online auction platform and internet portals in Central and Eastern Europe, including Allegro.pl, the leading online auction site in Poland. This acquisition, valued at £946 million, is Naspers' largest acquisition up to that point.

In August 2008, Naspers purchased a 25% share in BuzzCity through its investment arm, MIH. BuzzCity is a mobile media company that offers a global advertising network on the mobile internet, catering to brand owners and agencies.

In September 2008, Naspers acquired a 49% stake in Compera nTime, a mobile value-added services company based in Brazil. Subsequently, Compera nTime acquired a competitor named Yavox in 2010, leading to the formation of Movile.

In August 2009, Naspers announced that it would raise its ownership in BuzzCity by acquiring $1 million worth of shares from Exploit Technologies.

In September 2009, Naspers obtained a 91% stake in BuscaPé, a provider of comparison shopping systems for numerous portals and websites in Latin America.

In July 2012, Naspers purchased a 70% interest in eMAG, a prominent ecommerce platform in Romania. The existing managers of eMAG retained their positions and acquired 21.6% and 8.4% of the company's shares.

In November 2012, Naspers made strategic investments in Souq.com, the leading Ecommerce portal in the Middle East, and CashU, a prominent E-Payments firm in the Middle East and North Africa.

In 2015, Naspers merged its South African–focused Kalahari.com online retail business with market leader Takealot.com, acquiring a 46% stake in the merged company and creating South Africa's largest online retailer.

In 2017, Naspers made an investment in Souq and subsequently divested, adding to the intricate web of investments managed by the company.

In September 2019, Prosus was created as a new company by Naspers, listing on Euronext Amsterdam. Prosus encompasses all internet investments, including a significant stake in Tencent.

Naspers made additional investments and acquisitions to diversify from Tencent. However, the value of their Tencent stake still surpasses the total market cap of the company, indicating the overwhelming success of Tencent compared to other investments.

As of February 19, 2020, the stake in Tencent represents more than 100% of EBITDA for Naspers, indicating a substantial dependency on this holding.

Naspers delivered solid results for the twelve months ended 31 March 2020, as reported on 29 June 2020.