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DirecTV files FCC complaint against Fox
MUMBAI: The fight between US media company DirecTV and broadcaster Fox has gone to a new level with DirecTV sending a complaint letter to US media watchdog the FCC.
The letter has accused Fox of running misleading ads over the dispute over carriage fees. Fox wants to charge cable providers more for its channels, and DirecTV is reluctant.
DirecTV CEO Mike White has said that Fox‘s parent News Corp is seeking a nearly 40 per cent jump in its fees for the programming. He has said that DirecTV will start pulling programming from its lineup by 1 November 2011 if a deal isn‘t reached.
Fox, meanwhile, says that DirecTV hasn‘t replied to its offer of an extension in contract talks. It has accused DirecTV of taking an unnecessarily aggressive posture and going public. Fox adds that it is willing to continue offering its programming for the same price and terms as they are currently carried in the interim.
DirecTV has complained over ads run in local papers in the US indicating that Fox owned-and-operated channels — and not just select Fox networks and regional sports channels — will be pulled off the satellite service as part of the dispute.
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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.
