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Hathway Q1 net loss widens on digitisation
Mumbai: Increase in expenses for digitisation in the four metros and rising cost of borrowings has weighed down profitability of Hathway Cable & Datacom Ltd, a multi-system operator (MSO) with a national footprint.
Mumbai-based Hathway reported a loss of Rs 159 million in the first quarter ended June 30, 2012, 71 per cent more than in the previous quarter ended March 31, 2012 and 30 per cent higher than a year earlier. Loss of Rs 46 million on account of fluctuation in foreign exchange rates enlarged the loss in the first quarter.
HDFC Securities, in a research note, said increase in interest cost due to higher inventory of set-top-boxes (STBs) and increase in interest rates caused widening of Hathway‘s loss in the first quarter.
The company‘s finance cost in the first quarter was Rs 133.38 million, up 18 per cent from the previous quarter and 39 per cent from a year earlier.
In Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata analog mode of delivery of television channels to homes will be phased out from November 1. Hathway has a total of 2.1 million subscribers in the four metros and has so far 1.1 million subscribers have been provided with set-top-boxes (STBs).
Hathway expects to install STBs at homes of another 0.7-0.9 million subscribers by the end of October 2012, according to a research note by Sunidhi Securities & Finance Ltd. Hathway also has 0.41 million broadband subscribers, with 7,000 added in the first quarter.
The company‘s revenues at Rs 1.36 billion in the first quarter were flat compared to the previous quarter and up 12 per cent from a year earlier, on the back of higher fee on activation of STBs and addition of broadband subscribers.
Its EBITDA in the first quarter at Rs 238 million was 2 per cent higher than in the previous quarter and up 25 per cent from a year earlier. Its EBITDA margins in the first quarter were 17.5 per cent, 29 basis points more than in the previous quarter and 187 basis points higher than a year earlier.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
