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MSOs, broadcasters want digitisation deadline to stay put
GOA: Multi-system operators (MSOs) and broadcasters do not want the digitisation deadline in the four metros to be deferred, industry leaders said at the Indian Digital Operators Summit (IDOS) 2012 in Goa.
“Going by the investments we are making, the way we are progressing with content deals with broadcasters and the pace at which we are seeding the set-top boxes (STBs), there is no reason to believe that anybody wants deferment of digitisation,” said Den Networks CEO S N Sharma.
Agreed Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera. “The government‘s bold decision on FDI gives us the confidence that the digitisation deadline will not be changed,” he said.
Consumers can see merit in digitisation and the viewing experience is making a difference. “We are offering 22 HD channels. There
will be 3 million HD flat panel TV sets sold in this country,” Khera averred.
According to Sharma, it is in nobody‘s interest to delay digitisation. The MSOs are serious and are installing STBs rapidly. Joint consumer awareness campaigns have been launched. “They will gain as the business model transforms completely from B2B to B2C. There is also scope for local cable channels, which will be a key differentiator between cable TV and DTH service providers,” he elaborated.
Ortel Communications Ltd. co-founder and MD Jagi Mangat Panda cautioned the industry not to get too carried away by transparency (currently local cable operators under-report their subscriber numbers). Broadcasters and MSOs will have to work together to offer choice to consumers. “As bandwidth opens, broadcasters will have to meet this huge consumer demand (for varied content). Like in the US, this can be done by broadcasters joining hands with MSOs,” she said.
Panda also warned that MSOs would not be able to compete with DTH on pure digital play. The only way to win is by building fat pipes and offering broadband. “We shouldn‘t get stuck with transparency. If we don‘t do broadband, DTH will beat us hollow,” she said.
Raman Kalra, head of media & entertainment at IBM for India and South Asia, stressed on the need for having a forward-looking perspective. “The fat pipe of cable has been effectively exploited by players like Netflix and Hulu. Reliance Industries is also going to launch 4G and we know how they can bring down prices. I see a little amount of preparedness lacking among the cable TV companies in India at this moment,” he cautioned.
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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.
