NDTV refutes news reports, affirms Prannoy & Radhika Roy continue to control NDTV

In response to the Bombay Stock Exchange seeking clarification regarding change of control in NDTV Group, NDTV has reconfirmed that Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy, individually and through their company RRPR Holding Pvt Ltd, “continue to own and hold 61.45 per cent of the total paid up share capital of NDTV, and control NDTV.” 

The BSE had sought clarification regarding a news report carried in various print and electronic media on June 26-27, 2018 that the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had ordered Vishvapradhan Commercial Pvt Ltd (VCPL) to make open offer for NDTV within 45 days. 

A statement carried on the NDTV website emphatically stated, “VCPL, the company that gave the loan to the promoters, has never been represented by even one director on NDTV’s board. NDTV has never ceded even an iota of editorial rights to anyone outside the company.” 

The statement further said that at no point had the control of NDTV’s editorial policies or its business plans been directly or indirectly yielded to a third party. 

“No shares have ever been transferred by the promoters to anyone else,” it added.