Understanding the Ownership of The Quint: Clearing Up Common Misconceptions

The Quint is a publicly listed company, with 62% of its shares owned by its promoters, & 38% held by the public.

Clarity and transparency are paramount when it comes to the ownership of media companies, especially in a country like India.

Unfortunately, when it comes to The Quint, there's a prevalent misconception about its ownership, leading to questions about biases and indirect influence by corporations. One of the central points of confusion is lumping together multiple distinct entities under a single umbrella of The Quint.

To set the record straight, Quint Digital Limited (QDL), Quintillion Business Media Limited (QBML), and The Quint (TQ) are not one and the same.

Here's a detailed breakdown of their histories and current ownership to clear up any confusion.

The Foundation Years

2014: Quintillion Digital Limited (QDL), initially known as Quintillion Media Private Limited (QMPL), was incorporated on 23 August 2014.

2015: Quintillion Business Media Limited (QBML), which started as Quintillion Business Media Private Limited (QBMPL), was established on 12 December 2015 as a step-down subsidiary of Quintillion Digital Limited.

2016: QBML partnered with the American media and financial data company Bloomberg to create BloombergQuint. QBML held 74.03% of the shares at its inception, while Bloomberg LP owned the remaining 25.97%.

The Year of Transformation/Confusion: 2023

• QDL, via Quintillion Media, acquired Bloomberg's roughly 26% stake, making it wholly owned by Indian entities.

• Later that year, Gautam Adani's AMG Media Networks Limited purchased a 49% equity stake in QBML.

• By December, QDL transferred its remaining 51% equity stake to AMG Media Networks Limited, marking the exit of QDL and its promoters from any association with QBML and the Adani media group.

• It's crucial to note that Adani's acquisition was limited to QBML and did not extend to other entities either owned by Quint Digital Limited (QDL), such as The Quint and Quintype Technologies or those QDL has significant minority stakes in, such as The News Minute, and Youth Ki Awaaz.

Current Ownership Structure of the Quint

• The Quint is now a publicly listed company - approximately 62% of it is owned by its promoters, such as Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur, while the remaining 38% is held by the public.

• This structure underscores that The Quint is not owned by Adani.

No Overlap with QBML

• Contrary to popular belief, QBML or BQPrime (now NDTV Profit) is no longer a subsidiary of The Quint or Quint Digital Limited.

• It is now wholly owned by AMG Media Networks Limited, meaning The Quint has no ownership or direct association with QBML or BQPrime or NDTV Profit.

As stated earlier, maintaining transparency and trust in journalism is essential. Therefore, we reiterate that The Quint is not linked to or owned by AMG Media Networks Limited. The Quint, like its consumers, advocates for independent and free journalism, which is something that we have done since our initiation.

So, next time you hear someone confused about the ownership of The Quint, you can confidently set the record straight.