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Kerala cable operators resume Asianet channels
BANGALORE: The recent deadlock between the Cable Operators Association (COA) Kerala and Media Pro over the Asianet bouquet in Kerala has been resolved with the former agreeing to clear the outstanding amount.
“The ongoing deadlock between the Kerala cable Operators and Asianet has been successfully resolved. At a meeting conducted in Trivandrum on Saturday with Kerala Cable operators, the issue was discussed in detail and understandings between the parties concerned were reached. All the channels of Asianet have been activated,” said Asianet business head John Brittas.
Earlier this month, Asianet signals had been stopped due to differences between Media Pro and the Kerala Cable Operators over subscription charges. The cable operators contended Media Pro was charging far more than the reasonable decided subscription fees.
During mid-2012 too, cable operators under MCOA (Media and Cable Operators Association) in Kerala had contended that the Trai website showed Asianet Plus as a FTA channel and had not paid any subscription charges for over 18 months, Media Pro claimed at that time.
The current spat seems to be a spillover from the earlier issue, except that Media Pro now claims that a number of cable operators have not paid subscription dues for about 12 months.
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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.
