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MTNL, Aksh Optifibre launch IPTV in Delhi
MUMBAI: The MTNL-Aksh Optifibre combine today announced the commercial launch of its IPTV service in Delhi. All MTNL broadband subscribers will be able to register for the IPTV service. Earlier, the service was deployed in about 200 homes in New Delhi. The MTNL-Aksh IPTV service will bring new features at a monthly tariff, beginning at only Rs 90 a month with options to select individual pay channels based on personal choice. Users will be able to select from the list of pay channels listed on screen and select the channels they‘d like to subscribe to, on the screens itself and start watching them immediately. An online television guide, available at a click of the remote, will detail all programs scheduled for the week by all channels available on the system. The “Time-shift TV” facility will allow viewers to “rewind” a live broadcast channel to catch a program that they might have missed and these programs can be stored up to one full week. For advertisers the “A-Tube” feature will allow them to upload full-length campaigns, product AV‘s and detailed trailers, without the limitation of prescribing to 10-20-30 second formats. A Video-on-Demand facility that is not restricted by the service provider‘s bandwidth (as with CAS and DTH) will also be available and the service is being launched with over 100 movie titles in Hindi and English. Plays and soaps in Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi and Bangla will also be part of the library that will be expanded on a weekly basis with a target to double it in 4-weeks. The biggest advantage IPTV will offer to consumers is the ability to integrate television broadcast with other IP-based services like high speed Internet access and voice-over-internet – all accessible on the television set. Features like booking of movie tickets with the television remote, video-calling, music on demand, online chats, virtual classrooms – these applications are expected to be part of the platform. Being an open platform, IPTV will also allow creation of thousands of third-party applications that can be offered through the system – from placing orders for cakes and flowers to trading of stocks while watching a business news broadcast channel and even advanced tele-medicine for which the remote center only needs an MTNL line and a television set. Consumers can call up 22 22 1500 to register and get IPTV running in 48 hours.
To be launched soon, the e-commerce facility will allow users to select their phone basis the infomercials on A-tube, pay for it right through the television remote and get it delivered to their homes.
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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.
