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Shiv Sena joins extend digitisation deadline chorus
MUMBAI: After Chennai and Kolkata, the government is facing political opposition in Mumbai with Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray warning the centre that any move to switch-off TV signals to analogue cable homes post the digitisation deadline will be fiercely opposed.
Taking a dig at Congress-led UPA government for failing to control inflation, Thackeray said that the government has further burdened the common man by making it compulsory to purchase set-top boxes, which costs anywhere between Rs 1000 to Rs 1200.
Thackeray also warned the government that the deadline is close to the festive season and any efforts to switch off signals to analogue homes would result in protest from common man.
“With the Diwali festival round the corner, many poor families are unable to afford it (STB) in these times of high inflation. Where will they get this money from suddenly? We shall not allow this type of compulsion on the people to install an STB,” Thackeray said in a statement in party mouthpiece Saamna.
Echoing Thackeray‘s sentiment, Shiv Sena leader and Cable Operators Association president Anil Parab said that the Information & Broadcasting ministry must extend the deadline by at least two months till December as 30 per cent homes are still to be seeded with STBs. This is contrary to government‘s claim that 100 per cent digitisation has been achieved.
“We did a review and found out that only 70 per cent of the homes have been digitised. Therefore we have requested the government to extend the deadline. Otherwise it will lead to law and order problem,” Parab said.
The 30 per cent homes that are yet to be seeded mostly fall in slum areas, he added.
The deadline for the first phase of digitisation covering the four metro cities of Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata is 31 October. As per Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2011, all television homes will have to compulsorily switch to digital cable in a phased manner.
Earlier, the government had faced opposition from Mamata Bannerjee-led Trinamool Congress in Kolkata while the Tamil Nadu government owned Arasu Corporation is also wanting extension of deadline in Chennai.
The cable operators association from both the Kolkata and Chennai have also urged the government to extend the digitisation deadline in order to allow cable operators to install STBs in all the consumer homes.
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Chennai cable ops say Govt’s digital STB figures faulty
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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.
