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IndusInd Media plans Rs 5 bn IPO in FY’11
MUMBAI: IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd (IMCL), the media subsidiary company of Hinduja Ventures Ltd, plans to raise Rs 5 billion through an initial public offering (IPO) this fiscal.
The funds will be used primarily for digitisation and acquisition of cable TV networks.
“We are looking at an IPO this fiscal. We plan to raise Rs 5 billion,” says IndusInd Media & Communications CEO & MD Ravi Mansukhani.
IMCL, which operates its cable TV distribution business under the Incablenet brand, will focus on expanding its primary points that will provide access directly to the consumer homes.
The company plans to invest Rs 1 billion in the fiscal, mainly for acquisitions. “A lot, though, will depend on whether the government comes out with a digitisation policy. If that happens, then we will invest more. A bulk of it will be taken away by digital set-top boxes,” says Mansukhani.
On the acquisition front, IMCL will either buy out the operators wholly or enter into joint venture arrangements. “We will continue with entire buyouts of small-sized networks. For bigger networks, we will have JVs,” says Mansukhani.
IMCL has just bought out eight smaller networks in Mumbai, aiding it to expand its direct points in the city. In the last fiscal, the company made several acquisitions including Sangli Media Services and RMD Baroda Networks.
“Our investments in new geographies have contributed to the growth and continued profitability of the company. We will be aggressive in acquisitions,” says Mansukhani.
IMCL has cable TV, broadband and infrastructure businesses. The content business has been hived off and IN Entertainment houses cable movie channel CVO, cable shopping network Shop24Seven, film production and distribution and movie licensing through Cablemaster.
IMCL has a reach of over eight million subscribers across 27 major cities.
Hinduja Ventures holds 66 per cent in IMCL.
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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.
