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BBC contracts Capita Group for UK’s first digital switchover
MUMBAI: The BBC has selected Capita Group as the supplier to UK‘s first area which is making the digital switchover in October. Whitehaven, Cumbria, falls first under the Digital Switchover Help Scheme. |
Support will be offered to those who are 75 and over, the severely disabled, and those who are registered partially sighted and blind. The support includes: A Help Centre located in Whitehaven to provide easy access to information for eligible customers as well as support with any queries and concerns; The necessary equipment to convert one television set to digital and support with installation, where required; Follow up support, where required, once switchover has taken place. |
BBC Group Finance director Zarin Patel said, “Following a very competitive tendering process, I am pleased to announce that this first Digital Switchover Help Scheme has been awarded to Capita. “I am confident they will deliver a scheme that ensures the most vulnerable residents of Whitehaven receive the support they need as the switch to digital begins.” This contract will run for 10 months from June 2007 and will cost approximately ?1m. Capita was selected from a shortlist of four companies (BT, Capita, EAGA and Vertex), all of whom are eligible to continue to bid for the national contract to deliver the Help Scheme for the roll-out across the rest of the UK between 2008 and 2012. The procurement process for selecting the supplier to deliver the UK-wide Help Scheme is ongoing, with the contract expected to be awarded towards the end of 2007. The scheme will be funded by ?600m ring-fenced for this purpose in the Licence Fee settlement. The process of digital switchover will take place between 2008 and 2012, TV region by TV region. The exception is Whitehaven, Cumbria, which becomes the first place to switch in October 2007. Switchover is a complicated process, and needs to be done in stages so that everyone in the country will be ready for it. |
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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.
