Naspers, founded in 1915 as De Nasionale Pers, evolved from a South African publisher into a global internet and media conglomerate, notably through its early investment in Tencent. The timeline covers its founding, key leadership, technological shifts, international expansion, major acquisitions, corporate restructuring, and modern standing as a powerhouse with the Prosus spin-off.
Naspers is founded in Cape Town as De Nasionale Pers (The National Press) by J.B.M. Hertzog and others, aiming to promote Afrikaans language and culture through publishing. #history #publishing
Naspers launches its first newspaper, Die Burger, in Cape Town, becoming a key voice in the Afrikaans community. #media #newspaper
Naspers enters the magazine market with titles like Huisgenoot and later You, diversifying its print portfolio. #publishing #magazines
Naspers co-founds the Sunday newspaper Rapport with another publisher, strengthening its newspaper division. #media #newspaper )
Naspers acquires a majority stake in the book publishing house J.L. van Schaik, expanding into educational and general books. #publishing #books
Naspers partners to launch M-Net, the first subscription television service in South Africa, revolutionizing broadcasting. #television #media
Naspers launches DStv, a multi-channel satellite television platform under MultiChoice, becoming Africa's leading pay-TV operator. #television #satellite
Naspers lists its shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), providing public trading and growth capital. #finance #stockmarket
Naspers launches M-Web, an internet service provider, marking its entry into the digital space. #internet #technology
Naspers invests $32 million for a 46.5% stake in Tencent, the Chinese internet giant behind QQ and WeChat, a transformative move. #investment #technology
Naspers acquires the MIH Group, which holds its Tencent stake, consolidating its internet investments. #investment #corporate
Tencent IPOs on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with Naspers retaining a large stake, generating massive returns. #finance #ipo
Naspers launches Kalahari.net, an online retail platform in South Africa, later rebranded as Takealot. #ecommerce #retail
Naspers acquires a 30% stake in Mail.ru, a leading Russian internet company, expanding its global internet portfolio. #investment #technology
Naspers launches Showmax, a subscription video-on-demand service, competing with Netflix in Africa. #streaming #media
Naspers invests in OLX, a global online classifieds platform, later becoming a major player in the sector. #classifieds #investment
Naspers acquires BuscaPé, a Brazilian e-commerce platform, expanding into Latin America. #ecommerce #acquisition
Naspers overtakes SABMiller as the most valuable company on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, driven by Tencent's growth. #finance #stockmarket
Naspers marks 100 years since its founding, reflecting on its transformation from newspaper publisher to global internet investor. #anniversary #history
Naspers merges Kalahari.net with Takealot to form the Takealot Group, South Africa's leading e-commerce player. #ecommerce #merger
Naspers acquires the remaining stake in Ibibo Group, an Indian online travel company, and merges it with MakeMyTrip. #travel #acquisition
Naspers sells 2% of its Tencent stake for $9.8 billion, its first sale, to fund investments and reduce the discount on its own shares. #finance #investment
Naspers spins off its international internet assets into Prosus, which lists on Euronext Amsterdam and the JSE, creating a distinct investment vehicle. #corporate #spin-off
Prosus (majority Naspers) acquires Stack Overflow, the Q&A platform for developers, for $1.8 billion. #technology #acquisition
Naspers unbundles its MultiChoice stake, distributing shares to shareholders and listing MultiChoice separately on the JSE. #corporate #media
Naspers sells Russian classifieds platform Avito to OLX Group, consolidating its global classifieds business. #classifieds #sale
Naspers restructures its South African media arm Media24, selling some titles and shifting focus to digital. #media #restructuring
Naspers leads a $200 million investment round in Byju's, the Indian edtech company, furthering its education technology focus. #edtech #investment
Prosus (majority Naspers) acquires BillDesk, an Indian payments company, for $4.7 billion to strengthen its fintech portfolio. #fintech #acquisition
Naspers begins a massive share buyback program, funded by selling small amounts of Tencent stock, to narrow the conglomerate discount. #finance #buyback
Naspers and Prosus announce a simplification plan, including an exchange offer to consolidate their share structures and improve liquidity. #corporate #restructuring
Naspers completes the exchange offer, ending its dual-listed structure and moving to a single share class, reducing complexity. #corporate #finance
Naspers and Prosus continue to sell small portions of their Tencent stake to fund buybacks, with the stake falling below 25%. #investment #finance
Prosus increases its stake in Delivery Hero, the German food delivery giant, becoming a major shareholder. #foodtech #investment
Speculation arises about Naspers potentially rebranding entirely to Prosus as the South African media roots become less relevant. But no official decision. #corporate #speculation