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MSOs earmark Rs 50 mn to jointly promote subsidised STBs
MUMBAI: Den Networks, Hathway Cable & Datacom, Incablenet, Digicable WWIL (Siti cable), has earmarked Rs 50 million to promote its subsidised set-top box (STB) offering in Mumbai and Delhi.
The MSO body had recently launched a promotional offer for consumers in Mumbai and Delhi to avail the STBs at a subsidised price of Rs 799.
MSO Alliance has already spent close to Rs 15 million on print ads in leading publications like Times of India, Hindustan Times, DNA, Economic Times, Navbharat Times and Maharashtra Times.
“We (MSO Alliance) will spend close to Rs 50 million to promote the offer. We have already spent Rs 15 million out of it. We have issued ads in several publications in Mumbai and Delhi,” Den Networks CEO and MSO Alliance secretary SN Sharma said.
The MSOs will revise the price of the STBs after 30 September in Mumbai and Delhi. MSO Alliance will also offer subsidised STBs in Kolkata in within 20 days.
“We are not launching the offer in Chennai since none of the MSO Alliance MSOs are present in the city,” Sharma added.
The MSO Alliance is also carrying out below-the-line activities like street plays. It is engaging Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) to do live demos to educate customers about the benefits of digitisation.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting revised the deadline for full digitisation of the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai to 31 October from the earlier deadline of 30 June to allow platforms and consumers more time to convert to digital.
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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.
