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Mauritius private equity fund to invest in Hathway Cable & Datacom
MUMBAI: The push for change is coming from all angles as the cable TV sector in India is caught in the wave of digitalisation. Rajan Raheja-promoted Hathway Cable & Datacom is in the process of roping in a new investor while Star Group continues to be an equity partner. Mauritius-based venture capital fund Monet Ltd is coming in as the third partner with a 10.83 per cent stake in Hathway Cable & Datacom. Star Group had earlier acquired a 26 per stake in the cable company. The foreign investment promotion board (FIPB) has given its approval to the proposal of “an increase in foreign equity by 10.83 per cent by Monet Ltd.” |
Hathway‘s relationship with Star, according to some industry watchers, had been strained for a long time. But in the last board meeting significant progress had been made on working out a growth chart for the cable company. |
With conditional access system (Cas) kicking off in the three metros of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, multi system operators (MSOs) have been under pressure to line up investments. Hathway Cable & Datacom MD & CEO K Jayaraman had earlier told Indiantelevision.com that it would be raising a debt of Rs 1 billion to fund its digital expansion plans in the initial phase. Hathway Cable & Datacom‘s focus has been on having an integrated revenue model from digital and analogue operations, broadband and cable channels. |
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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.
