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Zee in talks with Singtel for digital content
MUMBAI: After stitching content deals with government telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on the Isee platform and private telecom player Idea Cellular on IdeaTV, Essel Group‘s Digital Media Convergence Limited (DMCL) is closed to testing international waters.
it is in advanced talks with Singapore-based telecom company Singtel. |
Talks are on for making Zee library‘s content available for Singtel subscribers on the Isee platform under Isee Zone. DMCL CEO Ishwar Jha refused to comment. On the national front, Isee will soon be available for BSNL users in the eastern states. |
DMCL recently completed creating the Indian Cricket League‘s (ICL) official website www.indiancricketleague.in. This site will function as DMCL‘s sports portal and the company will add new features facilitating interaction between users. Further, the company is adding a new portal to its bouquet which it is readying for launch by the first quarter of 2008. “We are currently structuring a service-outsourcing portal. The self-employed services sector is unorganised and this portal will provide a direct interaction platform between clients and self-employed service professionals like lawyers, architects and artists,” says Jha. The current bouquet of portals that DMCL has announced includes party site, entertainment portal and a social networking site. It plans to launch these portals by December 2008. |
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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.
