The Tata Group's purchase of Bisleri and the Gautam Adani–led Adani Group's acquisition of NDTV were among the several major mergers and acquisitions that garnered media attention in 2022
A number of factors, including the slowing economy, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, energy shortages, and the effects of climate change, made 2022 a difficult year. Despite the unpredictability of the year, few big business mergers and acquisitions made the news in India.
Let us take a look back at the year’s five big mergers and acquisitions in India.
1. Adani buying NDTV stakes: Gautam Adani made news when he acquired the media house NDTV this year. On August 23, 2022, he bought 29.1% stakes in NDTV indirectly through a different company named Vishvapradhan Commercial Private Limited (VCPL). Along with 29.18 per cent indirect stake in NDTV Ltd, Adani Group launched an open offer (under SEBI norms) to acquire an additional 26 per cent stake in the Delhi-based news channel on November 22. In the latest news, Adani has raised its stake in New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) to more than 37 percent through the open offer.
2. Ratan Tata getting back his airlines: Tata Sons took control of Air India from the government on 27th January of this year, the formal homecoming for India’s first airline born in the company in 1932 before it was nationalised 69 years ago. Ratan Tata, in a 19-second voice note said, “The Tata Group welcomes Air India’s new customers and is excited to work together to make Air India the airline of choice in terms of passenger comfort and service.” Air India is now set to merge with the airline Vistara. The merger is supposed to be completed in March 2024.
3. Acquisition of Bisleri by Tata: Ramesh Chauhan selling Bisleri International to Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL) for an estimated $6,500–$7,000 crore, nearly three decades after selling Coca-Cola the soft drink brands Thums Up, Gold Spot, and Limca, made big news this year. As part of the agreement, the present management will continue for another two years. In addition to Jayanti’s lack of interest in the company, Chauhan’s poor health is forcing him to sell the business. He acknowledged that the decision to sell Bisleri was difficult, but he is confident in the Tata Group’s ability to care for it “much better.”
4. 5G rolling out in India: Telecommunications companies anticipate that 5G will alter businesses in the same manner that 4G did for consumers. The largest benefit of 5G is a reduction in latency, or the amount of time it takes for data to reach customers, from 20 milliseconds in 4G to about 1 millisecond. The first 5G rollouts occurred in South Korea and the US in 2019, and more than 70 other nations have since followed suit. Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio introduced 5G services in India in October. Reliance Jio and Xiaomi have already listed out the cities that would be getting the 5G services in India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
5. Vistara and Air India merger: Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines (SIA) agreed to merge Air India and Vistara, with SIA getting a 25.1 percent stake in the merged entity at an investment of $250 million, that is, Rs 2058.5 Cr, in Air India as part of the transaction. The merger is supposed to be completed in March 2024. Currently, SIA holds 51 percent stake in Vistara, whereas Tata holds the remaining 49 percent. Tata had acquired Air India for Rs 18,000 crore from the Indian government earlier this year.
Edited by: Tanmoy Mitra
