The Times Group

WorldBrand briefing

AI supplement

Original synthesis to sit alongside the encyclopedia article below. Not part of Wikipedia; verify facts on Wikipedia when precision matters.

The Times Group, officially Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited, is India's largest multinational mass media conglomerate by revenue, headquartered in Mumbai. Founded in 1838, it is family-owned by the Sahu Jain family and operates a diverse portfolio of print, television, digital, entertainment and education brands across South Asia and global markets.

Key moments

1838Launched The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce, predecessor to The Times of India
1861Renamed to The Times of India after merger with two other publications
1991Entered television broadcasting sector
2006Launched Times Now, India's first 24-hour English news channel
2017Launched Goguru e-commerce bookstore and Times Experience event platform

The Times Group faces strong competition in the Indian media landscape:

Print media: Rivals include HT Media (publisher of Hindustan Times), Malayala Manorama, and Ananda Bazar Patrika.
Digital news: Competes with Network18 (owned by Reliance Industries), India Today Group, and News18.
Television: Challenges from Zee Media, Disney Star India, and TV18 Group.
Digital platforms: Times Internet competes with Flipkart-owned Shopsy, Swiggy, and local classifieds platforms like OLX.

Its competitive edge lies in its long-standing brand legacy, extensive regional language publication network, and integrated media ecosystem spanning print, broadcast and digital channels.

Largest print circulation reach in India across multiple languages
Diversified revenue streams beyond traditional advertising
Strong presence in business news with The Economic Times

The Times Group stands as the most dominant brand in India's media and entertainment industry, underpinned by 187 years of operational history and deep cultural roots in the world's largest democracy. As India's largest mass media conglomerate by revenue, it has built a fully integrated media ecosystem spanning print, broadcast, digital platforms, entertainment, and education, enabling it to capture cross-demographic audience attention and advertising expenditure across both legacy and modern media channels. Its long-standing reputation for credible news and mass-market entertainment has secured strong, widespread brand recognition among audiences across every major region and demographic segment in India.

The group faces intense competition across all its core operating segments, from established domestic rivals to digital-native entrants and global-backed media players. However, its centuries-long legacy, extensive regional language distribution network, and cross-channel integration create a durable competitive moat that newer market participants struggle to match. Its strategic diversification beyond traditional print media into high-growth adjacent areas such as digital classifieds, private education, and streaming content has allowed it to offset stagnant print revenue growth and retain brand relevance among younger, digital-first audiences. Long-term family ownership has also supported a sustained approach to brand building, prioritizing long-term trust over short-term financial gains.

Brand leadership

Score: 85/100

As India's top media conglomerate by revenue, The Times Group holds leading market shares in key segments including English-language daily news, national publishing, and large-scale digital media properties. Its flagship title The Times of India is among the most widely circulated English newspapers globally, granting the group significant cultural and industry influence across the South Asian region.

Audience interaction

Score: 78/100

The Times Group manages hundreds of branded properties that engage hundreds of millions of users daily across print, digital, and broadcast channels. Its digital division Times Internet reaches a vast base of monthly active users across news, classifieds, and lifestyle platforms, fostering ongoing engagement through personalized content and interactive digital features. Loyalty to legacy print titles also supports consistent long-term audience interaction with the group's brands.

Brand momentum

Score: 72/100

While legacy print growth is muted industry-wide, The Times Group has maintained positive brand momentum through strategic investments in digital transformation and high-growth adjacent segments. It has expanded its regional language content portfolio to capture rising demand in tier-II and tier-III Indian markets, offsetting stagnation in traditional print advertising revenue. The group continues to launch new digital properties to adapt to shifting audience behavior, keeping its brand portfolio fresh.

Brand stability

Score: 90/100

As a nearly two-century-old organization controlled by the same founding family lineage, The Times Group benefits from exceptional brand stability. It has navigated multiple economic cycles, technological disruptions, and major shifts in media consumption, retaining its leading position through every transition. Strong cash flow from legacy print operations provides a stable financial foundation for new investments, reducing the risk of sudden brand erosion or disruptive ownership changes.

Brand age

Score: 92/100

The Times Group traces its founding back to 1838, making it one of the oldest continuously operating media companies in India and South Asia. Its 187+ years of operation have allowed it to build unparalleled brand heritage and public trust across multiple generations of Indian audiences, creating a unique intangible asset that newer competitors cannot easily replicate.

Industry profile

Score: 80/100

As the leading media conglomerate in the world's largest democracy, The Times Group holds an outsize industry profile, with its brands shaping public discourse, consumer trends, and cultural narratives across India. It is widely recognized as a benchmark for commercial and operational success in the Indian media industry, with its integrated brand strategy studied by emerging media players across emerging global markets. Its diverse portfolio also grants it influence across multiple interconnected media and entertainment sub-sectors.

Global brand reach

Score: 55/100

While The Times Group's core operations and revenue base are concentrated in India and South Asia, it has expanded limited global presence through regional editions of its flagship publications targeting the Indian diaspora in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. It holds small international investments in digital media and entertainment, but the vast majority of its brand awareness and revenue comes from its domestic Indian market, resulting in a moderate globalization score.

AI-driven analysis can support contextual brand value reasoning for The Times Group, drawing on its market position, operating legacy, and competitive performance. All resulting value estimates are illustrative and not independently audited. For a fully verified, audited brand valuation for The Times Group, contact the World Brand Lab.

Overview

Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.

type	Private
foundation	November 4, 1838
location	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
key people	Samir Jain (Vice-Chairman and Managing Director) Vineet Jain (Managing Director) Sivakumar Sundaram (Chairman, Executive Committee)
industry	Mass media
products	Publishing · broadcasting · radio · films · entertainment · web portals
revenue	inr 73940000000 (2022)‡R1R‡

net income	inr 4570000000 (2022)‡R1R‡

num employees	11,100 (2014)‡R2R‡

owner	Sahu Jain family

subsid	Times Internet Bennett University Times Music Junglee Pictures Times Innovative Media Limited Times Business Solutions Limited Times Guaranty Ltd Times Publishing House Limited

Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd. (BCCL), d/b/a The Times Group, is an Indian media conglomerate based in Mumbai. Notable media properties owned and operated by the group include India's largest selling daily English-language newspaper The Times of India, television channels such as Times Now, the radio station network Radio Mirchi, and magazines Filmfare and Femina.[3][4]

The Sahu Jain family owns a majority of the stake in the group. In May 2023, the Times Group was split into two separate business entities between brothers Vineet Jain and Samir Jain, such that its radio and broadcast properties would remain with Vineet Jain and its print properties would be under the ownership of Samir Jain.[5][6]

History

The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce was first published on 3 November 1838 as a predecessor to what would become The Times of India.[7][8][9] While starting as a biweekly paper, it was converted to a daily in 1850. In 1859 the paper was merged with two other papers into the Bombay Times and Standard under editor Robert Knight.[9][10] Two years later, in 1861, the paper got a more national scope with the title The Times of India. Subsequently the paper saw its ownership change several times until 1892 when an English journalist named Thomas Jewell Bennett along with Frank Morris Coleman (who later drowned in the 1915 sinking of the SS Persia) acquired the newspaper through their new joint stock company, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. (BCCL).[9][10]

The company, by that time consolidated in the Times of India Group, was taken over from its British owners in 1946 by industrialist Ramkrishna Dalmia.[11][12]

Dalmia (7 April 1893 – 26 September 1978) was a pioneer industrialist and founder of the Dalmia-Jain group or Dalmia Group and the Times Group. The name is variously written as Ram Krishan Dalmia and Ram Kishan Dalmia. In 1947, Dalmia engineered the acquisition of the media giant Bennett, Coleman by transferring monies from a bank and an insurance company of which he was the Chairman. In 1955, this came to the attention of the socialist parliamentarian Feroze Gandhi who was part of the ruling Congress party headed by his estranged father-in-law Jawaharlal Nehru. In December 1955, he raised the matter in the Parliament, documenting extensively the various fund transfers and intermediaries through which the acquisition had been financed. The case was investigated by the Vivian Bose Commission of Inquiry.

In the court case that followed, where he was represented by the leading British attorney Sir Dingle Mackintosh Foot, Dalmia was sentenced to two years in Tihar Jail. But he managed to spend most of the jail term in hospital. During this period the company was run by Dalmia's son-in-law Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain.

Upon his release his son-in-law Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain to whom he had entrusted running of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. rebuffed his efforts to resume command of the company.[13] Jain would buy the company a few years later and the company would be primarily run by his family in the years after.[12][14] The company expanded its presence in the Indian media sphere by founding different papers and local editions of The Times of India.[10]

Decline and revival

The Times of India press published a number of influential English (e.g. Illustrated Weekly of India 1880-1993) and Hindi magazines (e.g. Dharmyug 1949-1997, Sarika, Dinaman 1965-1990s, Parag 1958-1990s), edited by distinguished authors including Khushwant Singh, Dharmveer Bharti, Agyeya and Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena. However, the organisation faced financial difficulties, and most of them were closed down during the 1990s.

The sons of Sahu Ashok Jain, Sahu Samir Jain and Vineet Jain are credited with reviving the financial success of the group with newer and more profitable ventures.[15][16]

Assets

Publications

The Times of India, largest circulation of any English-language newspaper in the world, with 2.8 million copies.[17][18]
The Economic Times[19]
Navbharat Times
Maharashtra Times
Mumbai Mirror
Vijaya Karnataka
Bangalore Mirror
Pune Mirror

External links

References

Sonam Saini. BCCL's FY21 consolidated revenue at Rs 5,337.94 crore exchange4media.com, 21 November 2019, retrieved 27 May 2023^
Times Group may go for an IPO 'in the long run' Business Standard, 8 November 2021, retrieved 8 November 2021^
Bennett Coleman and Company Limited

The Times Group

WorldBrand briefing

Brand leadership

Audience interaction

Brand momentum

Brand stability

Brand age

Industry profile

Global brand reach

History

Decline and revival

Assets

Publications

See also

Further reading

External links

References

Television channels

Defunct channels

Times Business Solutions Limited

Times Internet

Radio Mirchi