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ESS enters deal with Dish TV for Star Cricket
NEW DELHI: ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd has reached an agreement with Dish TV to introduce its third channel Sports Cricket on the DTH platform. The channel will kick off with the India-England series on 19 July. While ESPN Star Sports (ESS), which is already on DishTV, will only telecast the ODI‘s, Star Cricket will air the entire series inclusive of test matches. ESS will carry an English feed and Star Cricket will carry the Hindi feed. When contacted about Tata Sky‘s discussions with ESS for the telecast of the series, Tata Sky MD and CEO Vikram Kaushik declined to comment. India will complete all three test matches and two of its seven one-day matches on its England tour by 25 August, wherein India plays its last one-dayer in England on 7 September. ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd, DishTV CEO Arun Kumar Kapoor said, “With Star cricket now available on Dish TV, we fulfill our promise of wholesome entertainment to our discerning subscribers. Just before the India-England series, we ensure that our subscribers get to watch the matches.”
“Star Cricket is a great venture by the ESPN Star Sports and we are proud to be associated with the channel in bringing the series on the DTH platform. Cricket is like a religion in India. We have extended our service portfolio for those cricket lovers whose interest, passion and emotions are synonymous with the game.”
According to ESPN MD R C Venkateish, “We have a very long and fruitful association with Dish TV. The growth of the platform in this time frame has been extremely impressive and we believe that the popularity of our channels has contributed in accelerating the growth of DishTV. We are happy to partner with dishtv for the newly launched Star Cricket.”
“Our understanding with dishtv will ensure that subscribers of the Dish TV platform will enjoy un-interrupted cricket on three channels – ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket,” added Venkateish.
ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket will telecast India’s tour of England where India will play three Test matches and seven one day internationals (July – September 2007). This will be followed by the telecast of the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa (September 2007).
India’s tour of Australia involving four test matches and a Tri series with Australia, Sri Lanka and India involving 15 ODIs will also be telecast on the network (December 2007 –March 2008). The channels will also be showcasing live from Pakistan in the Asia Cup, involving 13 One-day Internationals in the month of May 2008.
In addition, the sports broadcaster will also present the ICC Champions Trophy, bringing it live from the battlegrounds of Pakistan which will see different teams fight out in 15 intense ODI matches in September 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.
