Talk:Naspers

Requested changes

I've moved this content from Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_South_Africa --Slashme (talk) 08:14, 7 March 2017 (UTC)

Following are suggested changes to the Naspers company page. Several of the facts regarding who founded Naspers are incorrect, therefore, I have updated them an provided them below. For fact checking and verification, Professor Lizette Rabe, Journalist Department Chair at Universiteit Stellenbosch University, has provided the following sources for these changes, especially with regard to who the founding father's of the company.

Most notable, Hertzog was not the founder of Naspers, and Verwoerd never was an editor of a Naspers paper, nor director of Naspers.

My best suggestion would be to refer you to the South African Biographical Dictionary for the Hertzog and Verwoerd profiles, as they will not provide any evidence that these individuals were respectively founder of Naspers or editor of a Naspers paper/director of the company.

If you have access to the Naspers company archives, you will of course also see who the sixteen founders under the leadership of W.A. Hofmeyr were (and that Hertzog was neither the leader of this group nor a member of this group); as well as that Verwoerd was not an employee nor director of Naspers. These facts will also be found in the 75th jubilee history of Naspers, Sonop in die Suide: geboorte en groei van die Nasionale Pers 1915-1948 (C.F.J. Muller, 1990, Nasionale Boekhandel).

With regard to a biography on Hertzog, unfortunately I do not know of an English language biography on Hertzog – the standard work on him is Gedenkboek Generaal J.B.M. Hertzog (P.J. Nienaber, 1965, Afrikaanse Pers Boekhandel).

With regard to a biography on Verwoerd, this bio, although dated, can be recommended: Architect of Apartheid – H.F. Verwoerd – An Appraisal (Henry Kenney, 1980, Jonathan Ball Publishers) (which will also reflect no editorship nor being a director of Naspers). The more recent The Last Afrikaner Leaders – A Supreme Test of Power (Hermann Giliomee, 2012, Tafelberg Publishers), also has a chapter on Verwoerd.

–The assertion above is incorrect, Verwoerd was a director of Perskor and editor of [| Die Transvaler], an entity and title, bought up and merged with Naspers.Ethnopunk (talk) 14:28, 26 May 2017 (UTC)

CURRENT CONTENT

Naspers is a broad-based multinational internet and media group, offering services in more than 130 countries. Its principal operations are in ecommerce (i.e. classifieds, online retail, marketplaces, online comparison shopping, payments and online services), video entertainment and print. With a market capitalisation of over $66 billion it is the largest company in Africa and the 7th largest Internet company in the world.[2]

Brands and subsidiaries

Major brands owned by Naspers include:

• Internet media: Multiply, OLX, Allegro, Buscapé, Ibibo, Movile, SimilarWeb
• TV media: MultiChoice, SuperSport, DStv, MNet, ShowMax
• Internet providers: MWEB
• Print media: Media24, Grupo Abril (30% of shares)

It also has minority investments in listed, integrated social-network platforms Tencent (SEHK 0700) and Mail.ru (LSE: MAIL).

History

Naspers was founded in 1915, by Afrikaner Nasionale Pers (National Press) as publisher & printer of newspapers and magazines.[3][4] It decided by a group of prominent Afrikaners in December 1914 at Stellenbosch to form a publishing company that would spread a nationalistic Afrikaner message.[5]:290 It was founded by J.B.M. Hertzog who also founded the National Party, the previous year in 1914. Jannie Marais, a prominent Stellenbosch farmer purchased a quarter of 20,000 £1 shares in the new company.[5]:290 Naspers first published the Afrikaans language daily Die Burger in June 1915 which was followed by its first magazine Die Huisgenoot in 1916.[6]

In 1918 the company added book publishing to their portfolio[6] which made it one of the most significant media hubs in Africa at the time. In 1985 the company launched the pay-TV system M-Net for the first time in the region which brought about great reputation for the company & has grown into one of the largest media house's in the world. Nasionale Pers officially changed its name to the currently used 'Naspers' in 1998.[6]

Since 1994, the company is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in South Africa and has designated to be part of the Top 10 index over the past number of years. They also have a Level I American Depository Receipt programme (ADR programme) listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and trade on an over-the-counter (OTC) basis. International investors account for around 50% of their shareholder base.

The investment in Tencent has skyrocketed the Naspers stock 500% since 2010 due to the success of Tencent and has labelled the company the most valuable in Africa (May 2015) with a market cap of almost $66B. A unit of international media group Naspers, namely its subsidiary Myriad International Holdings owns 28.7% stake in Digital Sky Technologies (DST), the Russian firm behind investments in notable Internet companies like Facebook, Groupon and Zynga. China’s Tencent also made a strategic investment (to the tune of $300 million) in DST, 35% of Tencent being owned by Naspers.

IDEAL CONTENT

Naspers is a global internet and entertainment group and one of the largest technology investors in the world. It operates in more than 130 countries and markets with long term growth potential. Naspers looks for opportunities to address big societal needs in markets where it sees the greatest growth potential. Naspers’ principal operations are in internet (i.e. classifieds, e-tail, marketplaces, online comparison shopping, payments, travel, and online services), video entertainment and digital and print media. With a market capitalisation of over $66 billion it is the largest company in Africa and the 7th largest internet company in the world.[2]

Brands and subsidiaries

Major brands within the Naspers Group include:

• Internet: Avito, eMAG, letgo, Movile, OLX, SimilarWeb, Souq, PayU
• Education Technology: Brainly, Codecademy, Udemy
• Video entertainment: MultiChoice, SuperSport, DStv, MNet, ShowMax
• Media: Media24

It holds minority investments in listed, integrated social-network platforms Tencent (SEHK 0700) and Mail.ru (LSE: MAIL). The group also holds a minority investment in Flipkart in India, and a 40% stake in Make My Trip, following the merger between Make My Trip and Ibibo Group.

History

Naspers was founded in 1915 as De Nationale Pers Beperkt (National Press Ltd) as a publisher and printer of newspapers and magazines.[3][4] A group of prominent Cape Afrikaners decided in December 1914 at a meeting in Stellenbosch to form a publishing company that would support Afrikaner Nationalism.[5]:290 It was founded by W.A. Hofmeyr, a well-known Cape lawyer. Jannie Marais, a prominent Stellenbosch businessman, purchased a quarter of the initial 20,000 £1 shares in the new company.[5]:290 Naspers first published the Dutch language daily De Burger in July 1915, which was followed by its first magazine, De Huisgenoot, in May 1916.[6]

In 1918 the company added book publishing to its portfolio.[6] This development firmly entrenched Nasionale Pers as publisher of newspapers, magazines and books and formed the foundation for a company that regenerated itself through innovation and entrepreneurship over the next one hundred years.

In 1986 the company launched the pay-TV system M-Net which catapulted the firm into the electronic era and laid the foundation for the company to grow into one of the largest internet/technology groups in the world.. for the first time in the region which brought about great reputation for the company & has grown into one of the largest media house's in the world. Nasionale Pers officially changed its name to Naspers in 1998.[6]

Since 1994 the company has been listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in South Africa. The company also has a Level I American Depository Receipt programme (ADR programme) listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and trades on an over-the-counter (OTC) basis. International investors account for around 60% of its shareholder base.

In 2001, Naspers invested in Tencent, today the largest internet company in China, and 4th largest in the world. This investment has skyrocketed the Naspers stock 500% since 2010 due to the success of Tencent, and has labelled Naspers the most valuable in Africa (May 2015) with a market cap of almost $66B. A unit of Naspers, namely its subsidiary Myriad International Holdings (MIH), owns a 28.7% stake in Digital Sky Technologies (DST), the Russian firm behind investments in notable internet companies like Facebook, Groupon and Zynga. China’s Tencent also made a strategic investment (to the tune of $300 million) in DST, 35% of Tencent being owned by Naspers.

2601:644:100:C6F0:D9EE:FDCD:62B2:8181 (talk) 02:25, 7 March 2017 (UTC)

Comments

I have some concerns with the proposed text. A large part of it sounds as if it comes from a company brochure. Examples:

• "one of the largest technology investors in the world" - This needs a citation and more context.
• "e-tail" - That's a horrible buzzword with no place in a Wikipedia article.
• "and markets with long term growth potential" - This would only ever be said to gain the interest of investors. It speaks to the company's internal strategy, and doesn't fit in an encyclopedia article.
• "Naspers looks for opportunities to address big societal needs in markets where it sees the greatest growth potential." - This is undiluted promotional text.
• "a company that regenerated itself through innovation and entrepreneurship over the next one hundred years" - This is unverifiable as written, and extremely promotional and unencyclopedic.
• "which catapulted the firm into the electronic era" - This is not suitable wording for Wikipedia, although the original is no better (I'll fix it when I'm done with these comments).
• "This investment has skyrocketed the Naspers stock 500%" - Absolutely unacceptable promotional wording.

Thank you for the corrections of fact - I'll make some of them in the next few minutes. --Slashme (talk) 08:29, 7 March 2017 (UTC)