Applications
WWIL Q1 operating profit up on strong carriage rev
MUMBAI: Wire and Wireless (India) Ltd has reported an operating profit for the fifth straight quarter as its carriage revenue stays strong and costs have been cut to optimise resources.
The multi-system operator‘s first-quarter consolidated operating profit rose to Rs 42.8 million, from Rs 1.9 million a year ago.
WWIL‘s net loss, however, widened to Rs 420 million compared to Rs 233.9 million in the year-ago period. This was mainly because it wrote off security deposit receivable of Rs 231.5 million (pertaining to Headend-In-The Sky).
Consolidated operating revenue for the three months ended June 2011 stood at Rs 798.3 million, up 15 per cent from Rs 692.5 million in the earlier year.
Carriage contributed to around 60-65 per cent of the first-quarter revenue, according to a source.
The company plans to expand into new geographies and focus on digitisation.
Said WWIL chairman Subhash Chandra, “With the company showing consistently improved operational performance quarter-on-quarter, and with all its infrastructure and systems in place, WWIL is set to benefit immensely with the onset of digitisation.”
Operating expenses in the quarter stood at Rs 761.7 million, down 9.1 per cent from Rs 698 million a year ago.
Said WWIL chief executive officer Sudhir Agarwal, “Majority of our analogue business units are now operationally self-sustainable, resulting in operational profits. We will continue to work towards making the existing business self-sustainable as well as expand our footprint to new strategically important geographies.”
The company expanded its business and ground presence by starting operations in newer areas. It also undertook strategic cost reduction initiatives to enhance efficiencies and optimise resources.
“As the market gets ready for the next wave of growth, we shall expand our network wider and deeper and capitalise on our investments in infrastructure, systems, processes and people. The outlook for the industry remains positive and the year ahead promises to be an exciting one for WWIL,” said Agarwal.
On standalone basis, WWIL‘s net loss for the quarter stood at Rs 385.95 million (against Rs 204.65 million in Q1 FY‘11). Revenue increased to Rs 547.49 million (from Rs 497.50 million), while expenses were at Rs 557.58 million compared to Rs 569.13 million in the earlier year.
Applications
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.
