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DD issues disconnection notice to 7 channels on its DTH
NEW DELHI: As the government clearance is yet to come for boosting the capacity of DD Direct Plus, the pubcaster has issued disconnection notices to seven channels to make place for the high definition (HD) channels that were launched to coincide with the Commonwealth Games.
The country‘s only free-to-air DTH platform has a capacity of 59 channels while it beams 57 TV channels, apart from 21 channels of All India Radio. The TV channels include 21 Doordarshan channels.
Meanwhile, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (Tdsat) will hear on 9 December a plea by Zee Turner challenging the disconnection notice.
Zee Turner has submitted before Tdsat that the state-owned direct to home (DTH) service provider Prasar Bharati has threatened not to carry its channel but has not given the mandatory 21 days time.
Prasar Bharati has issued notices threatening to disconnect carriage signals of Zee Smile, Zee Jagran and ETC Music – all Zee Turner channels – from 28 November.
Senior counsel Maninder Singh appearing for Zee Turner submitted that Prasar Bharati has threatened to stop transmission of its channels though it has paid Rs 8 million as enhanced annual carriage charges. He also sought directions to Prasar Bharati for carrying Zee Turner‘s channel on the DTH service on non-discriminatory basis.
DD sources told indiantelevision.com that DD Direct Plus could consider taking back these channels as soon as it is able to augment its capacity to 97 channels in the first phase.
The augmentation of the capacity of DD Direct Plus will cost Rs 554.3 million as part of the 11th Plan scheme. According to the budget approved on 4 August 2010, the augmentation in the first phase will be completed by 31 March 2011.
According to Information and Broadcasting Minister sources, the capacity will increase to 200 by the end of financial year 2011-12.
Earlier, Doordarshan Director General Aruna Sharma told indiantelevision.com that DD was just awaiting the clearance as it was ready with the infrastructure.
DD sources said around 90 television channels by 82 applicants are in the queue for being uploaded on DD Direct Plus. These include some foreign channels.
The oldest of these applications was made on 7 March 2007 while the latest was made on 12 April this year.
Being an FTA channel, DD Direct only has a one-time charge for dish antennae, set top box and installation.
The country has six private platforms that are operational – Dish TV, Tata Sky, Big TV, Sun Direct, Airtel digital TV and Videocon D2H.
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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.
