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I&B finalises December 2014 as sunset date for digitisation
NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has in its final report decided that digitisation of addressable cable systems will be completed in the country by December 2014.
In its final view on the schedule issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the Ministry has said the first phase covering the metros would be completed by 31 March 2012 (as against Trai’s revised deadline of 31 December 2012).
The Ministry has also revised the date of Phase II, covering cities with a population of more than one million, to be fully digitised by 31 March 2013, as against the revised Trai deadline of 31 December 2012.
Phase III covering all urban areas (Municipal Corporations/Municipalities) will be digitised by 30 September 2014 (as against Trai‘s revised time schedule of 31 December 2013).
Phase IV covering the rest of India will be digitised by 31 December 2014 (as against revised timeline of 31 December 2013).
Trai in its recommendations on “Implementation of Digital Addressable Cable Systems in India” on 5 August last year had recommended that digitalisation with addressability should be implemented in the cable TV sector on priority. Accordingly, it suggested a timeframe comprising four phases for migration to a digital addressable cable TV system with sunset date for analogue cable TV services as 31 December 2013.
The Ministry, while expressing its agreement with all other recommendations made by Trai in this regard and also the staggered approach for implementation of full digitalisation, had on 28 January this year proposed a revised timeline with sunset date as on 31 March 2015.
In response to this, Trai in its letter of 22 February, recommended a slightly ‘rejigged’ time schedule without changing its earlier position with regard to the sunset date for switching over to digital system.
Thereafter, the Ministry, eliciting the views of concerned industry associations, has arrived at the following time schedule for implementing digitalisation with addressability in the cable TV systems in the country subject to approval of the Cabinet.
| Phase | Area Suggested by TRAI | Time frame initially recommended by Trai (5.08.10) | Time frame proposed by the Ministry (28.01.11) | Revised time frame by Trai (22.02.11) | Ministry’s final views |
| Phase -1 | Four Metros of Delhi , Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai | 31 Mar 2011 | 31 Mar 2012 | 31 Dec 2011 | 31 Mar 2012 |
| Phase -2 | Four Metros of Delhi , Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai | 31 Dec 2011 | 31 Mar 2013 | 31 Dec 2012 | 31 March 2013 |
| Phase -3 | All urban areas (Municipal Corp./ Municipalities ) | 31 Dec 2012 | 30 Nov 2014 | 31 Dec 2013 | 30 Sep 2014 |
| Phase -4 | Rest of India | 31 Dec 2013 | 31 Mar 2015 | 31 Dec 2013 | 31 Dec 2014 |
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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.
