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Raghav Bahl

Raghav Bahl is an Indian businessman, a serial entrepreneur, and an investor best known for his past ownership of several television channels, including TV18 India. He was the Founding/Controlling shareholder & managing director of Network18 Group, a media group that he started in 1993 and grew into one of the largest collection of media properties in India.[1]

At its peak, the group controlled by Raghav Bahl included media and internet-based media outlets such as in.com, IBNLive.com, Moneycontrol.com, Firstpost.com, Cricketnext, Homeshop18, bookmyshow.com, Forbes India, TV channels such as Colors and some in partnership with international media groups such as NBC TV18, CNN-IBN, IBN7, MTV, and CNBC Awaaz.[1][2]

By late 2011, according to a LiveMint article, Bahl's media group had a large debt, was running in loss and banks were unwilling to lend the group additional capital.[1] Bahl's group sought capital from the Reliance Industries Ltd in 2012, and two years later Reliance took over the media empire and Bahl left the Network18 group on 29 May 2014.[1][2][3]

After departing from the Network18 group, Bahl co-founded Quintillion Media Pvt Ltd with his wife Ritu Kapur. Currently, Bahl is the promoter of Quint Digital Media Limited[4] and his media group controls Thequint.com.[5][6] Bahl entered a joint venture agreement with Bloomberg L.P. to launch BloombergQuint in 2016,[7] the equity partnership ended in 2022.[8]

Early life

He received his schooling from St. Xavier's School, Delhi. He graduated in Economics Honors from St. Stephens College, and then did a Masters in Business Administration from the Faculty of Management Studies.[9]

His sister, Vandana Malik, also served in various positions under the Network18 Group. Her daughter and Bahl's niece, Avantika Malik, was married to Bollywood actor Imran Khan.[10]

Career

He began his career as a management consultant with A.F. Ferguson & Co, followed by a stint with American Express Bank, and later moved on to media.[11]

He started his career in media in 1985 as a Correspondent and Anchorperson for Doordarshan. He was the Anchorperson and Production Consultant for India's first monthly video news magazine, Newstrack, produced by the India Today group. From 1991 to 1993, he was the Executive Director of Business India Television and produced the Business India Show and Business A.M. on Doordarshan.[citation needed]

In 1999, he launched CNBC-TV18. He was responsible for directing most of the work of TV18 and channels like CNBC-Awaaz, Nickelodeon and Colors. Raghav served as the managing director of TV18 Group till July 2014.

By late 2011, Bahl's media group had amassed a large debt, was running in loss and banks were unwilling to lend the group additional capital.[1] Bahl's group sought capital from the Reliance Industries Ltd in 2012.[1] Bahl then brought the losses in his group under control, laid off hundreds of employees in his media group, closed or trimmed many of the properties within the group, according to the LiveMint.[1][12]

Two years later, in 2014, under the terms of this financing agreement, Reliance took over the Network18 group. With the change in ownership, Bahl left the Network18 Group in 2014.[1]

After leaving the Network18 Group, he founded Quintillion Media, a digital startup that publishes The Quint, along with his wife Ritu Kapur on 8 July 2014.

Writing

He has authored three books:

Awards

Controversy

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Inside the Network18 takeover, Ashish Mishra, LiveMint (The Hindustan Times Gp), (25 Jun 2014)
  2. ^ a b Reliance Takes Over Network18: Is This The Death Of Media Independence?, Forbes, Megha Bahree (30 May 2019)
  3. ^ "My dream to own a newspaper is dead". The Financial Express. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  4. ^ Statement showing shareholding pattern of the Promoter and Promoter Group, BSE.
  5. ^ [email protected], Global Initiative. "Ritu Kapur | Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism". University of Oxford. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  6. ^ "The Newsmaker – Ritu Kapur". Outlook Business. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  7. ^ Choudhary, Vidhi (26 January 2016). "Bloomberg said to be in talks with Raghav Bahl for joint venture". Livemint. HT Media Ltd. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  8. ^ Bloomberg ends JV with Quint; to have new content licence agreement, Business Today.
  9. ^ "FMS alumnus and media baron writes book on next superpower". Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  10. ^ "Meet Imran Khan's bride". Rediff.com. 4 January 2011.
  11. ^ Book Review: Super Power. Daily Express. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  12. ^ Reliance and right-wing politics gain a foothold in Raghav Bahl's media empire, Rahul Bhatia, The Caravan Magazine, (30 November 2013)
  13. ^ Sn, Vikas (16 March 2015). "Raghav Bahl's mobile-first news site the Quint goes live – ETtech". The Economic Times.
  14. ^ "News 24 honours Shobhana Bhartia with ISOMES Samman 2018 – News24online". Dailyhunt. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  15. ^ Scroll Staff (12 October 2018). "Income Tax raids on Raghav Bahl, Quint and News Minute raise questions of media intimidation". Scroll.in. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  16. ^ Statement by Raghav Bahl, Ritu Kapur & Quintillion Media Group post I-T raids, The Times of India.
  17. ^ Sarkar, Gaurav (22 October 2018). "Tax raids on Quint: 'I remember Ritu Kapur and Raghav Bahl got ₹100 crore converted'". Newslaundry. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  18. ^ Bahl, Kapur settle case with Sebi, pay Rs 61 lakh for rule breach, Business Standard.
  19. ^ "ED files money laundering case against journalist Raghav Bahl". The Economic Times. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  20. ^ ED files money laundering case against Raghav Bahl, The Indian Express.
  21. ^ ED Case: Raghav Bahl Writes to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, The Quint.
  22. ^ Money laundering case against Raghav Bahl: Delhi HC seeks ED response on plea for quashing, The Indian Express.
  23. ^ Delhi HC Refuses to Admit Petition by Raghav Bahl for Quashing of ECIR, Calls It 'Premature', The Quint.

External links