Applications
WWIL gets Rs 1.7 bn carriage revenue in FY’09, net loss at Rs 941.6 mn
MUMBAI: The carriage fee pinch continues to hurt broadcasters. Subhash Chandra-promoted cable company Wire and Wireless India Ltd (WWIL) has seen a 81 per cent boost in placement fees for the fiscal ended 31 March 2009, despite a slowdown that has hit the revenues of broadcasters. Income from bandwidth (placement and carriage fees) charges has grown to Rs 1.69 billion for FY ‘09, compared to Rs 937.3 a year ago. “Carriage comprises 55 per cent of our total revenues for the fiscal ended 31 March 2009,” says a source in the company. For FY‘08, carriage fee accounted for 35 per cent of WWIL‘s income. WWIL has posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 311.98 million for the quarter ended 31 March 2009, as against a loss of Rs 814.40 million in the prior year period. However, during this period, the income from operations came down marginally to Rs 710.85 million, as compared to Rs 755.45 million a year ago. Expenses reduced to Rs 784.94 million (from Rs 865.63 million) for the quarter under review. For the full fiscal, WWIL‘s net loss reduced to Rs 941.63 million, as against Rs 1.53 billion in the previous fiscal. Income from the operations in the fiscal grew to Rs 3.08 billion, as compared to Rs 2.71 billion a year ago. Expenses decreased to Rs 3.38 billion from earlier year’s Rs 3.20 billion.
Applications
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.
