27 Facts About Naspers

Naspers Limited is a South African multinational internet, technology and multimedia holding company headquartered in Cape Town, with interests in online retail, publishing and venture capital investment.

In 2001, Naspers made an early investment in Chinese technology firm Tencent and became increasingly focused on the global consumer internet sector.

In 2019, Naspers listed its global internet investment business unit Prosus on Euronext Amsterdam.

Naspers was strongly supportive of the National Party and began publishing the Afrikaans-language daily De Burger in June 1915, followed by its first magazine, De Huisgenoot in 1916.

In 1917, Naspers bought the weekly Bloemfontein-based Afrikaan newspaper Het Volksblad, the first expansion beyond the Cape Province for the company.

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Naspers entered the South African general and educational book publishing markets in 1918, initially publishing exclusively in Afrikaans.

Naspers expanded to English-language titles in 1919 and Xhosa in 1922.

Naspers spun off its book publishing operations in 1950 into a separate business, Nasionale Boekhandel.

In 1963, Naspers recommenced educational publishing operations through subsidiary Nasou.

Naspers continued to develop its book publishing business during the 1980s, forming the Afrikaans-language book club Leserskring in 1979 and the English-language book club Leisure Hour.

In 1986, Naspers formed a partnership with other South African publishing companies and launched pay-TV service M-Net.

In 1994, Naspers became publicly listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in South Africa.

Naspers obtained a Level I American Depository Receipt listing on the London Stock Exchange.

Naspers became increasingly focused on digital businesses; launching South African web portal Media24 and online retailer Kalahari.

In 2003, Naspers took full ownership of subscription television business M-Net and its sister companies MultiChoice and M-Web, integrating their extensive operations across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Naspers launched new publishing ventures in Nigeria and Hungary in 2003.

Naspers had a particular focus on India, investing more than $4 billion from 2014 to 2019, across multiple sectors, including into Byju and ibibo.

In December 2018, Naspers invested $1 billion into Indian online food ordering and delivery service Swiggy, the largest single investment made, outside of China, into a food tech company.

In December 2016, Naspers announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell telecommunications company M-Web to Internet Solutions, pending approval by the South African competition authorities.

In March 2018 Naspers sold part of its stake in Tencent, raising some $10 billion to fund other investments.

In 2019 Naspers listed its global internet investment business on Euronext Amsterdam as Prosus, which became Europe's largest consumer Internet company on its market debut.

Naspers Labs, designed in partnership with RLabs and its founder Marlon Parker, launched in 2019 as an economic initiative for unemployed youth in South Africa.

In May 2021 Naspers announced a share swap deal with its Dutch-listed subsidiary Prosus in an attempt to reduce the discount between the asset value of the companies and their market capitalisation.

In 1997, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission requested that Naspers make a submission about the years between 1960 and 1994, specifically, the media's role during this period.

Naspers refused to comply, which led to 127 Naspers employees each making an individual submission to the TRC, apologising for their role in the apartheid years.

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Naspers wholly owns Media24, Africa's largest publisher, printer, and distributor of magazines and related products, as well its largest newspaper publisher.

Naspers Foundry is a South Africa-focused early stage venture capital fund that invests in firms that "address big societal needs".