Rediff.com
Indian news and entertainment website
Rediff.com, stylised as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, email service and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organisation. It is headquartered in Mumbai with offices in Bengaluru, New Delhi, and New York City.
As of 2009, it had more than 300 employees. At the time of its founding, internet access had only been available in India for five months with a mere 18,000 users, leaving Rediff.com as one of the earliest Indian web portals and email providers.
01History
The Rediff.com domain was registered in India in 1996. Early products included the email service Rediffmail and Rediff Shopping, an online marketplace selling electronics and peripherals.
In 2001, Rediff.com was alleged to be in violation of the Securities Act of 1933 for filing a materially false prospectus in relation to an IPO of its American depositary shares. The case was resolved by settlement in 2009.
In April 2001, Rediff.com acquired the India Abroad newspaper.
In 2007, Rediff iShare, a multimedia platform, was released. In 2010, Rediffmail NG was launched, an email service for mobile platforms. In 2012, Rediff launched its Android App for Rediff News.
In April 2016, the company decided to delist from NASDAQ, citing the high cost of reporting requirements, given its financial condition.
02Infibeam Avenues Limited's era
In 2024, Rediff.com became a subsidiary of Infibeam Avenues, which acquired a 54.1% controlling stake in Rediff.com India Ltd. Infibeam founder Vishal Mehta became Rediff's new Chairman and Managing Director, succeeding Ajit Balakrishnan, who had led the company since its founding in 1996.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Rediff.com”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
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