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Cable ops support digitisation: Soni
NEW DELHI:Even as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s government has complained at not being consulted on digitisation, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni has said digitisation would be beneficial to the cable operators.
Speaking to the media in London, Soni said all decisions would be taken in consultation with the stakeholders. “Firstly I think those (critics) who said this are not fully aware of the discussions and arrangements, which have been made by us as a Ministry and also the guidelines which were initially announced by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Now you know that in 2002-2003 this was undertaken as CAS, there was resistance because most of the local cable operators thought that they would be out of job and they are estimated to be 40 to 60,000 in number,” Soni said.
“This time around even though Trai has suggested a complete digitalisation by 2013, the ministry felt we needed at least more time for talking as it is very important we talk to all stakeholders,” she added.
Soni further said that the cable operators have been pressing for digitisation as they sense stiff competition from direct to home (DTH) network providers.
She said the local cable operators have all in writing given their commitment to this. It is at their request that the government started moving in this direction. The cable operators today feel threatened by the DTH operators as one million DTH consumers are being created every month.
The digitisation of TV signals would offer a wider choice of channels to the consumers along with high quality viewing. Also, after digitisation, there would be no prime band.
While the multi-service operators (MSOs) and the local cable operators are racing against time to complete the technical requirements to meet the deadline, the remarks by a Minister in the West Bengal Government may create problems in Kolkata which along with other metros is to be digitised by 30 June.
The controversy arose when Firhad Hakim ‘Bobby‘, the Urban Development Minister and a close aide of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, said: “We were not consulted on this issue. If Trai or other agencies had discussed it with the erstwhile CPM government, we are not responsible for that.”
Meanwhile, Banerjee has stirred a hornet’s nest by advising people in the state not to see news channels and instead to see channels like Star Jalsha, Tara, and Channel 10 which offer music and entertainment.
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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.
