Kolkata's Sanmarg buys Tehelka, bets on a weekly revival
What's the deal? Kolkata-based Sanmarg Private Limited has acquired a 100% stake in TehelkaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.com Private Limited, marking its entry into the magazine segment. The deal value was undisclosed. Sanmarg, which publishes a prominent Hindi daily, says it will invest further in the title known for its investigative journalism.
What's the endgame? Sanmarg plans to convert Tehelka from a fortnightly to a weekly publication, keeping both print and digital editions. It aims to "restore its past reputation while maintaining high standards of journalistic integrity and credibility," the company said.
Who's running it? Arvind Chaturvedi has been appointed chief editor to lead the relaunch. Tehelka's founding editor, Tarun Tejpal, exited in 2017 and has no involvement in the title, according to the statement.
Why now? Sanmarg completed the acquisition last month from a group of investors who had owned Tehelka.com since 2017. The purchase includes all print, digital, and intellectual-property assets dating back to 2017. Tehelka rose to prominence for its sting journalism in the early 2000s.
What could go wrong? The title lost access to its pre-2017 archives, footage, and older copies, which stayed with former owner Anant Media Pvt Ltd. Sanmarg has committed to serving Tehelka's 276 lifetime subscribers — a small base, not proof of commercial traction.
The signal: The purchase is a revival bet rather than a sign of a magazine-sector deal wave. It fits a wider Indian-media pattern of pairing legacy print brands with digital offerings, echoed by Living Media India's reported US$2.04M purchase of the Reader's DigestDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → business. The real test is turning Tehelka's investigative reputation into a reliable audience and sustainable revenue.
Read more: news18.com
Image credit: artistmac
