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Hinduja group plans HITS platform; seeks licence from I&B Ministry
MUMBAI: Hinduja Group, which has interests in cable TV distribution business through IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd, is planning to launch Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) platform for smaller cable TV operators to offer digital service.
The HITS business will be under Grant Investrade, an investment arm of the Hindujas. Grant Investrade holds 6 per cent stake in IMCL.
Grant Investrade has applied to the Information and Broadcasting ministry for a licence to operate HITS.
"We applied for HITS licence about two weeks back. We feel that there will be a huge demand for such a service in the third and fourth phase of digitisation which will spread over small towns," IMCL managing director Ravi Mansukhani tells Indiantelevision.com.
Former Sun Group chief executive officer Tony D‘Silva will head the HITS business for the Hindujas. A veteran in the distribution business, D‘Silva has experience in both the broadcasting and the direct-to-home (DTH) side of the business. He was earlier heading Sun Direct, Kalanithi Maran‘s DTH company. Prior to that, he was headling Star India‘s distribution business.
Wouldn‘t it have made more sense for the HITS business to reside in IMCL? "We are looking at creating a neutral platform which cable operators and other MSOs can also tap. So we decided that it be housed under a separate company," explains Mansukhani.
IMCL is in talks with private equity investors to raise $75 million to fund the second phase of cable TV digitisation. The company plans to deploy four million set-top boxes (STBs) on top of the 1.5 million it is expecting to achieve in the first phase of digitisation.
Building a HITS platform will involve huge investments as it requires transponder space on satellite, encryption systems and digital set-top boxes. Noida Software Technology Park Limited (NSTPL), part of the Jain TV Group, is planning to invest Rs 15 billion over five years in its Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) project. The HITS service will operate under the JainHits brand.
The government has mandated digitisation across India by 31 December 2014. The second phase in 38 more cities will be by 31 March 2013, following the switchover to digital delivery of cable TV in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata from 1 November. The revised deadline for switchover to digital delivery in Chennai is likely to be decided by the Madras High Court.
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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.
