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Visual radio still at concept stage in India
MUMBAI: Last year, Radio Mirchi launched visual radio in collaboration with HP and Nokia. But the concept has yet to catch on as private FM operators are in a rush to launch more stations. |
Radio on mobile phones has a 40 per cent penetration in metros like Delhi and Mumbai. In such a situation, mobile should be put into work by the radio broadcasters, observed GCAP Media digital content manager Nick Piggot. |
| Speaking at the India Radio Forum, Piggot said radio and mobile phones complement each other. Text messages can provide a database of the listeners, their profile and a list of their most preferred songs. Piggot explained how this could be achieved. The listeners‘ request should be received through text messages; it unburdens the phone from being jammed; and the request text can be returned by a ‘thank you‘ message which is sponsored by any brand. |
Radio stations can earn huge revenues through collective reporting which includes traffic update, weather, sport updates via text message. It can also include travel, programme highlights and competitive promos. All these can be supported by advertising. The Indian radio industry is still at a nascent stage to exploit revenue streams from mobile, observed Piggot. |
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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.
