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IMCL sets foot in Kolkata, acquires two cable networks
MUMBAI: IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd, the media subsidiary company of Hinduja Ventures Ltd, is setting foot in Kolkata through the acquisition route, ahead of the government‘s digitisation mandate.
IMCL has picked up 51 per cent stake in two cable networks – Hooghly-based Advanced Multisystem Broadband Communications (AMBC) and Skyvision. With this, the Hinduja-owned multi-system operator (MSO) will have operations in three out of the four metros that fall under the first phase of digitisation.
“We have acquired 51 per cent stake in AMBC and Skyvision as we want to service Kolkata in the digitisation phase. We will be expanding in the other main cities of West Bengal,” IMCL chief executive officer Nagesh Chabria told Indiantelevision.com.
IMCL is also planning to acquire around 30,000 primary points that will give it access directly to the customer homes. “We plan to invest around Rs 1 billion over one year in that market. We intend to invest Rs 200 million in primary point acquisition and an almost similar amount in network and upgradation. We are looking at ordering 350,000 set-top boxes. This will include demand for second TV and our expansion into the city. We are also confident to recover whatever base AMBC has lost in the past year,” said Chabria.
IMCL is setting up a digital head-end in the central part of Kolkata as it plans to expand in the metro, adding to its strong base in Mumbai and Delhi. AMBC already has a head-end that services Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) which falls under the digitisation belt.
Kolkata is a low ARPU (average revenue per user) market. IMCL‘s strategy will be to test the Kolkata market before it decides to pump in big investments. The MSO already has a licence to operate in Kolkata.
Sources say smaller cable networks are willing to forego stake, allowing the bigger MSOs to fund the digitisation. This also offers a growth opportunity for these networks who are starved of capital to expand.
A media analyst expressed doubts over IMCL‘s ambitious target of deploying 350,000 STBs in that market over a period of one year. “The investment of Rs 1 billion and 350,000 STBs sounds too high at this stage. All will depend on how that market responds,” he said.
The big-tier MSOs have taken the acquisition route to have a presence in Kolkata ahead of digitisation. In Kolkata, Hathway has a presence through its joint venture company, Gujarat Telelinks Pvt Ltd (GTPL), which acquired a 51 per cent stake in Kolkata Cable and Broadband Pariseva. Den Networks chief operating officer Mohammad Ghulam Azhar had earlier told Indiantelevision.com that it has acquired a small cable network in Kolkata.
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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.
