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Techzone enters into strategic alliance with PTC Punjabi
MUMBAI: The Punjabi entertainment industry has been in great demand and hence has been producing content that is widely consumed not only amongst the Punjabi community, but also amongst the large Hindi speaking masses.
Keeping in mind the demand, Techzone, an aggregator, developer, publisher and distributor of entertainment content in the world, has entered into a strategic alliance with a Punjabi entertainment channel, PTC Punjabi. The alliance will provide a platform for direct interaction with audience for the channel by offering Techzone’s short code 56060.
With this alliance, PTC Punjabi aims to engage its vast and much spread out audience across various parts of the country and interact with them via SMS services, program related activities (MYSMS, PTT), contests like opinion polls/Voting and subscription based services (News, Astrology, Jokes etc.).
Speaking about the alliance, PTC Network CEO & director Rajiee M Shinde said, “Interactive Marketing enhances Viewer Engagement with the channel and SMS & other VAS services offered by Techzone help us to that aspect. We are looking at more such Interactive Services and this strengthening our relationship with our ardent viewers who seek us out, platform irrespective.”
The response of the SMS services has been overwhelming already with 1.5 lakhs SMS subscription between Oct. 2012 and Mar. 2013. The highest gainers till now are PTC Music awards with 28, 500 sms hits, PTC Film awards with 14, 000 sms hits and the Miss PTC Punjabi Beatuty & Talent Pageant with 16, 000 sms hits.
PTC Network president & director Rabindra Narayan said, “Significant SMS responses on our key properties have been extremely encouraging. Viewer Response & reaction important in shaping further content strategy. Our viewers are extremely loyal and almost consider it their right to convey their feedback back to the channel. We are always striving to better our content basis their feedback, rather than only relying on Industry Viewership figures.”
On the same, Techzone MD Naveen Bhandari said, “PTC Punjabi is the No. 1 Punjabi entertainment channel in India, Australia, UK, USA & Canada and the reason for this is the unique content they offer to their consumers. We are glad to become a part of such an authentic brand where our robust technology will engage the user directly with the channel and also give Techzone a large platform for creating better visibility for ourselves. PTC Punjabi has a strong international appeal, thus, we are expecting to reinforce our global customer base through this alliance. This alliance in future will also prove to be another bench mark in our many efforts to strengthen our regional content portfolio in India and becoming the preferred VAS provider across the world.”
In future, Techzone plans to extend its VAS services like CRBT, IVR, WAP and apps etc for PTC Punjabi to make the channel’s content available on mobile platform and ensure more effective content monetization for the channel.
Commenting on the ongoing adoption of VAS services amongst the known media channels, Bhandari added, “Over the years we have witnessed a paradigm shift in the content monetization space. VAS has opened new doors for the non VAS related content providers to reach out and opine with their audience even without having to associate themselves with telecom operators. Techzone wishes to spear head this change with the advanced technology and reach, and its unique content monetization strategies. ”
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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.
