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UTStarcom acquires 75% in Stage Smart for $30 mn
MUMBAI: UTStarcom is acquiring a 75 per cent interest in Stage Smart for $ 30 million, a deal that will enable it to provide technology and service platforms to state-owned media company Cristar.
UTStarcom will pay $20 million in cash and $10 million in shares.
In exchange for this two part consideration UTStarcom will own a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares and all of the preferred stock of Stage Smart, which gives it control of the entity.
Cristar director Jiaqiang Zheng said, “This strategic partnership provides Cristar an excellent technology and service platform and the opportunity to bring our first class content to users in China, a portion of the 80 million overseas Chinese, as well as China watchers around the world.”
Although the investment is expected to dilute UTStarcom‘s earnings for the initial one or two years of operation (while the subscriber base and advertizing fees are ramped up), it is expected to be accretive to earnings thereafter.
UTStarcom president and CEO Jack Lu said, “This is a significant step in our evolving business model and a great example of how we intend to leverage our core IPTV technology to create new revenue streams for UTStarcom. It also shows how we will take advantage of the significant opportunities that are being created as China pushes “Three Network Convergence”. We expect these new revenues to be both more predictable and of higher margins than those generated by pure equipment sales.”
UTStarcom is also making three critical shifts in its business strategy:
The first is a “return to China”. With the move of the operational headquarters to Beijing, the company will be able to increase focus on the Chinese and Asian markets that drive its business.
The second is “the pursuit of telecom and cable network customers in parallel.” As UTStarcom‘s core-IP technology can be applied across different kinds of networks, the company can pursue opportunities with operators of other networks.
The third and final shift is “equipment and services.” Because of three network convergence in China and UTStarcom‘s expertise in building and operating the technology & service platforms for IPTV and Internet TV, UTStarcom will see new opportunities to sell more end-to-end solutions to service providers in this space.
“Since assuming my new role, I have been working to articulate a concise description of UTStarcom‘s business model. Because this strategic partnership reflects each of the three shifts we are seeing in our business strategy, it was an excellent catalyst to share more about the future of our business. I look forward to elaborating on this during our upcoming third-quarter earnings call,” Lu said.
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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.
