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Liberty Global Q2 revenue up by 5.% to $2.52 bn
MUMBAI: International cable company Liberty Global has reported a 5.2 per cent jump in revenue to $2.52 billion for the second quarter ended 30 June.
Operating Cash Flow was $1.19 billion, reflecting rebased growth of 2.5 per cent. Operating income decreased by three per cent to $479 million. Adjusted Free Cash Flow increased by 24 per cent to $186 million.
Liberty Global has added over 800,000 RGUs during the first six months of the year, reflecting strong demand for our market-leading, triple-play bundles.
Liberty Global president, CEO Mike Fries said, “These gains helped drive our second consecutive quarter of more than five per cent rebased revenue growth. As we expected, rebased OCF growth was modestly below our first quarter result at 2.5 per cent for Q2, which should represent the low point for the year. We remain committed to driving free cash flow growth, with Adjusted FCF increasing 19 per cent year-to-date to $466 million compared to the same period last year.”
Providing guidance for the full year, the company said that as it moved into Q3 and Q4, it expected to generate accelerating rebased OCF growth due largely to the strong volume growth achieved during the first six months, as well as margin expansion in Germany.
“Product innovation remains a core focus of ours as we strengthen our leadership position in digital video products and services. We intend to roll out our next-generation Horizon video platform in the Dutch market next month, followed by Switzerland in Q4. On the wireless front, we launched our 4G mobile service in Chile in mid-May. Although it’s still early, we are very encouraged by the traction that we are getting from existing, as well as new customers,” said Fries.
Also, having added nearly 30,000 wireless subscribers in the first six months, the company expects to see customer take-up accelerate.
The company was engaged in several merger and acquisition activities during the second quarter. First, it closed the sale of its interest in Australian business, Austar, in late May, generating roughly $1.1 billion in proceeds.
Subsequently, Liberty announced an agreement to create the leading cable operator in Puerto Rico by combining OneLink’s and its own cable operations into a joint venture that gives the entity control and consolidation with a 60 per cent majority interest.
“We are also pleased to report that our integration in Germany is proceeding on track with a new management team in place since July 1, combining the best of Unitymedia and KBW,” Fries said.
Liberty‘s consolidated liquidity position stands at approximately $4.0 billion, including $1.9 billion of cash and cash equivalents. “This gives us ample capital to deploy into high return investment opportunities, including acquisitions and our stock buyback program. As of June 30, we had repurchased approximately $430 million of equity this year and remain committed to completing our $1 billion target for 2012,” Fries stated.
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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.
