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Arasu gets no DAS licence yet as Govt debates over state-owned cable TV outfits
NEW DELHI: Arasu Cable TV Corp. Ltd, a state government-owned cable television distribution network, has so far failed to get a licence from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to run the network.
Ministry sources told indiantelevision.com that licences have not been issued to any state-owned organisation for running cable TV networks as recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). The broadcast sector regulator had recommended that neither state-owned, local bodies nor religious organisations should be permitted to own TV channels.
Though no final decision has been taken, the matter will lead to a discussion in the Ministry as West Bengal and other states have also sought permission to run TV channels. Permitting one will mean that the Centre will not be able to refuse the others, the sources said.
Interestingly, Arasu applied for a DAS (digital addressable system) licence on 5 July 2012.
The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2011, that made digitisation mandatory also made it compulsory for all cable companies to get a DAS licence from the government to operate their distribution networks. In the absence of the licence, the operator will not be allowed to operate.
The government has given 11 DAS licences to multi-system operators (MSOs) in Tamil Nadu until now.
Arasu started operations in 2011 after All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam came to power. It had been founded in October 2007 by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) headed by M. Karunanidhi at a time when his family was in a dispute with the Marans, his grandnephews who control Sun TV Network Ltd and MSO SCV. However, plans to project Arasu as a rival of SCV were shelved after the Marans made up with Karunanidhi.
Since its re-launch in September 2011, Arasu has built a network that covers 31 districts in the state (but not Chennai) and reaches 4.9 million households. The number of households serviced by cable companies in the state is estimated at 12 million, according to M.R Srinivasan, general secretary of Chennai Metro Cable TV Operators Association. India has 120 million cable households.
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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.
