Naspers was founded in 1915 in Cape Town, South Africa, as De Nationale Pers — a Dutch-language newspaper publisher serving the Afrikaner community — before transforming over a century into one of the world's largest technology investment companies.
The company holds stakes in internet and e-commerce businesses across more than 80 countries, with its most significant asset being a roughly 24% stake in Tencent, the Chinese technology giant, worth approximately $100 billion at current valuations.
Headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, Naspers trades on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange under ticker NPN today, with its international arm Prosus separately listed on Euronext Amsterdam.
About Naspers
| Sector | Technology / Communication Services |
| Industry | Internet Investment & E-Commerce |
| CEO | Bob van Dijk |
| Website | naspers.com |
| Headquarters | Cape Town, South Africa |
| Founded | 1915 |
| Status | Public (JSE: NPN) |
Naspers Founders
W.A. Hofmeyr
Co-founder; first chairman of De Nationale Pers; instrumental in establishing the company's initial newspaper publishing operations in Cape Town in 1915
D.F. Malan
Co-founder; helped establish the Afrikaner nationalist press; later became South Africa's first National Party Prime Minister, separate from his role in the company's founding
Naspers History
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1915
De Nationale Pers is founded in Cape Town as an Afrikaner newspaper publisher, initially producing Die Burger, a Dutch-language daily that becomes central to South African media for over a century.
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1985
Naspers launches M-Net, sub-Saharan Africa's first subscription television channel, pivoting from print media into broadcasting and laying the groundwork for what would become the MultiChoice pay-TV business.
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2001
Naspers invests $32 million for a 46.5% stake in a small Chinese internet company called Tencent, one of the most profitable venture capital investments in history at any subsequent valuation.
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2019
Naspers lists its international internet assets as Prosus on Euronext Amsterdam, creating a separately traded vehicle to reduce its Tencent stake's outsized weighting on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
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2020
Naspers spins off MultiChoice Group, its pay-TV subsidiary, as an independent JSE-listed company, separating decades of South African broadcasting assets from the Tencent-driven international internet investment business.
FAQs
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When did Naspers come out?
Naspers was founded in 1915 in Cape Town as De Nationale Pers, a newspaper publisher. It was renamed Naspers in 1997. It has traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange since the early 20th century. -
Who owns Naspers?
Naspers is publicly traded on the JSE. The Public Investment Corporation — South Africa's government pension fund manager — and various global institutional investors are its largest shareholders. No single private entity holds a controlling stake. -
Is Naspers an American company?
No. Naspers is a South African company founded in 1915 in Cape Town, where it remains headquartered. It is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Its international arm Prosus is separately listed on Euronext Amsterdam. -
Who made the Naspers logo?
Naspers' current corporate logo was developed as part of a rebrand when the company renamed itself from De Nationale Pers to Naspers in 1997, designed to reflect its transition from a newspaper publisher to a broader media and technology group.