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Sify in ad sales deal with Big Bang Media
MUMBAI: Online portal Sify has appointed Bang Media as its net ad sales Concessionaire. Big Bang Media will be entrusted with the management of the complete ad sales of all Sify.com’s internet properties including Wallet Watch, Bawarchi, Khel, Samachar.com – leading NRI news portal, Sifymax.com – India’s leading broadband and video content portal. It will also manage Sify’s retail ad product AdPlus that enables desktop advertising across Sify iWays (Cyber café chain) spread across 160 cities. Sify president portals Sivaramakrishnan said, “Sify presents a unique package to enhance customer reach not only through its popular consumer portals but also its reach of the consumer through its 3500 iWay network across 160 cities and the unique AdPlus advertising model. Big Bang Media’s rich domain experience combined with Sify’s reach will help brand ads work in an online plus offline delivery model”. Sify.com says that its clients and media agencies will benefit from this partnership as Big Bang Media’s focus will be to generate high interest and highly interactive properties, while taking the existing properties to newer highs in ROI delivery. Big Bang Media as content creators will also be generating interesting, interactive and customised content to support this advertising inventory ensuring an enhanced user experience on the sites. The complete Hindi Content Aggregation and Creation function for all Sify.com channels has also been awarded to Big Bang Media.
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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.
