Applications
Star launches HD feed, calls it ‘Asli HD’
MUMBAI: Star India has launched the high-definition feed of five of its network channels – Star Plus, Star Gold, Star movies, Star World and NGC.
In the last 8-10 months, we have been investing not just in terms of financials, but also time and efforts in training and infrastructure. The result is Asli HD, which we can legitimately claim as the real HD with end-to-end transformation,” Star India CEO Udaya Shankar said.
Calling their channels Asli HD (Real HD), Star India claims it is the only network which offers Asli HD content that is shot in HD, recorded and edited in HD and mixed for 5.1 Dolby surround sound.
Star India has partnered with Dolby Laboratories to use Dolby Digital Plus for the 5.1 surround sound. “We are pleased to be working with Star TV to transform the sound of television entertainment in India,” said Dolby Laboratories VP Asia Pacific Mahesh Sundaram. “Dolby Digital Plus brings cinematic surround sound for movies and stunningly realistic sound for television programs so Star TV viewers can enjoy their favourite content as the artists intended.”
Shankar, however stressed that HD is not an end game but an intermediate stop for Star towards improving viewing experience.
All the five channels will bear the mark of HD on their respective channel logos.
However, the channels are at present available only on Tata Sky HD platform and Star is in talks with other DTH providers for carriage.
Indiantelevision.com has confirmed with Tata Sky that the DTH platform has added the channels to its HD pack, which already has NGC and Discovery apart from the IPL HD feed. “The HD pack is charged at Rs 50 per month and there is no plan to increase the price, Tata Sky CMO Vikram Mehra said.
Meanwhile, star Den has priced the channels at Rs 16 (NGC), Rs 20 (Star World), Rs 30 (Star Plus) and Rs 34 (Star Movies and Star Gold).
“The launch of Asli HD today is a testimony to our commitment to offer our viewers world class media experience. With Star‘s popular entertainment channels turning HD, a high definition revolution is set to kick start in India. This is just a glimpse of a slew of exciting initiatives we will roll out in coming months,” Shankar added.
Starting 18 April, the company will start its marketing campaign to promote the HD experience. It will be a high intensity multimedia campaign with two TVCs in English and Hindi each with Karan Johar elaborating the HD effect.
The TVC will be aired on Star Network channels, news channels (Star news, Aajtak, NDTV); and kids channels (Cartoon Network and Hungama). In print, it will put advertisements in Times of India national and Mint’s Bombay and Delhi editions. It will also place hoardings in Mumbai and Delhi while there are retail tie-ups with Croma, Next, Vijay Sales and Kohinoor. It will also promote Asli HD on OOH screens and multiplex.
Star India also unveiled its new corporate logo- Hot Star.
Shankar said, “Our new corporate logo reflects the vigor and vitality of a new India, that Star has been privileged to grow with. We see this as a source of energy for the entire company, to continue to fire up for the opportunities and challenges in serving and inspiring our viewers.”
Applications
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.
