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Dish TV gets shareholder nod to raise $200 mn
MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra-owned Dish TV, the leading direct-to-home (DTH) television services provider, has received approval of its shareholders to raise $200 million through issue of equity to fund expansion and growth of the highly capital intensive business.
Dish TV will consider raising the amount through issue of equity or convertible bonds in the domestic or overseas market. If it decides to raise the money through a qualified institutional placement (QIP), the company may consider offering a discount of up to 5 per cent of the price to QIP investors.
The requirement for capital investments is also high now considering the shift to digital delivery of television channels across the country by December 2014. The government has implemented the first phase of digitisation effective 1 November in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata and in Chennai, a decision is expected soon by the Madras High Court. The second phase of digitisation covering 38 cities is effective 31 March.
Dish TV, in the notice to the shareholders, said DTH business is highly capital intensive, requiring huge financial resources from time to time. The company has been meeting these requirements through borrowings from banks, financial institutions, rights issue proceeds, issue of global depositary receipts (GDRs) and requisite funding from the promoter group from time to time.
The equity or convertible issue has been proposed considering the funding requirements and current market conditions, the company has said.
The consent of the shareholders was obtained through a postal ballot.
For the purpose of raising further equity, Dish TV has also obtained the approval of the shareholders to increase the company‘s authorised equity capital to Rs 1.5 billion from Rs 1.35 billion.
The promoter holding in Dish TV stands at 64.7 per cent. In 2009, US-based private equity firm Apollo Management had bought an 11 per cent stake in the company for $100 million.
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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.
