Applications
Delhi High Court rejects MSM Discovery, Star Den plea
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today declined to interfere with the interim orders of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Authority (Tdsat) directing MSM Discovery and Star Den not to distribute the channels of Viacom18 and Television18 India respectively.
Though these were separate appeals against the orders of Tdsat, Justice S Muralidhar decided to treat them together as they raised the same issues.
Muralidhar said the Court was unable to come to the conclusion that in passing the impugned order, the Tdsat committed any fundamental error in approaching the issue.
The Court therefore said it finds no merit in these three writ petitions and they are dismissed as such with costs of Rs 15,000 each, which will be paid by the Petitioners MSM Discovery and Star Den to Viacom 18 and Television18 in equal shares within two weeks. All pending applications stand disposed of.
The distributors (petitioners in these cases) had said that they had the complete freedom to package all channels available on its platform in their bouquet offering to affiliates/operators so as to maximize the revenue in order to reach all the channels being aware of the market position.
The Court said when such agreements are revoked, the question of granting any interim relief to keep the agency alive does not arise as long as the losses and damages suffered by the agent are capable of being quantified.
Clause 14 and its subsections come to an end with the termination of the agreements.
The Court also felt that interfering with such an order of Tdsat was violative of the objectives of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act.
Even if the pre-condition for termination as envisaged by Clause XX of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between MSM Discovery and Viacom18 or Clause 14 (i) and (iv) of the deal memo between Star Den, TV18 and IBN18 are taken to be negative covenants, that would still not improve the case of the petitioners for grant of any interim relief in their favour.
Earlier Tdsat in its interim order dated 27 July 2010 had restrained MSM Discovery from representing Viacom18 channels (Colors, MTV, Nick and VH1). Tdsat had also in its order dated 29 July 2010 restrained Star Den from representing Network18 channels (CNBC, Aawaz, CNN IBN and IBN7).
MSM Discovery and Star Den subsequently filed an appeal in Delhi High Court against the orders of Tdsat.
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.
