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Hathway Cable takes cautious approach towards acquisition
MUMBAI: India‘s leading multi-system operator (MSO), Hathway Cable & Datacom, has taken a cautious approach towards acquisition and will focus mainly on last mile purchases at a value that does not exceed 24 months of
revenues. |
Hathway has added 100,000 subscribers through the inorganic route, including primary and secondary customers, during the fiscal. “We have an acquisition pipeline of 200,000 subscribers. We are looking mainly at primary direct points which will allow us direct access to the consumer homes. Inorganic wholesale acquisitions (MSOs) is not on our radar too much,” says Jayaraman. Hathway has added 200,000 digital subscribers and plans to add one million digital set-top boxes in the fiscal. “Our focus is on organic growth. We are looking at digital and broadband growth,” says Jayaraman. |
“The valuation should fall within the corridor of 15-24 months revenue. The acquisition should make sense on ROI (return on investments). We have lined up acquisitions in smaller towns where we can have better subscription control and it will be easier to digitise,” says Hathway Cable & Datacom managing director and chief executive officer K Jayaraman.
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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.
