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Cable ops move Bombay HC, seek extension of digitisation deadline
MUMBAI: A clutch of cable operators in Mumbai have approached the Bombay High Court seeking extension of the deadline for digitisation in the four metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.
The court has issued notices to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to reply by 5 June.
Among the petitioners are Kulbhushan Puri and Paresh Thakkar, both associated with Hathway Cable & Datacom. Puri. The operators are from the eastern suburbs of Mumbai like Chembur, Ghatkopar and Govandi.
Interestingly, Puri holds 5.32 per cent stake in Hathway Bhawani Cabletel & Datacom, according to shareholding data on BSE till November 2011.
“Puri and Thakar have filed in their individual capacities. They want to set up their digital head-ends. The Hathway Bhawani JV will run on its own,” said a source familiar with the development.
The court will hear the matter only after 11 June when it resumes after the holiday break. The government has set 30 June as the digitisation deadline for the four metros.
The operators are seeking time as they want to set up their own head-ends. “The broadcasters will file their RIOs (reference interconnect offer). The operators need at least 60 days to work out their deals with the broadcasters. They will also have to obtain licence for running their own operations,” the source added.
The petitioners want time so that new entrants would be given a fair opportunity to set up their independent ventures.
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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.
