Applications
Decision on Arasu DAS licence will depend on Govt. view on Trai report
NEW DELHI: The Government has said the application by the Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable Television Corporation Ltd. for issuance of a digital addressable system licence is under consideration.
However, Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources said that the application was being examined in the light of the report of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) which is opposed to granting licences for television channels or distribution networks owned or supported by state governments or political parties.
The sources also said that no time frame could be given for a final decision on the application for registration as multi-system operator received on 5 July last year to operate in notified areas of Chennai.
A newly constituted Inter-Ministerial Committee was currently examining the recommendations of Trai in its report in mid-December reiterating its stand taken in 2008, and so a decision on Arasu would be taken only after this process is finalised.
Chaired by the Additional Secretary of the I&B Ministry, the IMC has representatives of the Departments of Information Technology, Telecommunications, Economic Affairs, and Industrial Policy and Promotion apart from some experts. The representatives of these Ministries should be of a rank not lower than Joint Secretary.
The two Joint Secretaries (Broadcasting) in the I&B Ministry serve as member secretaries depending on the subject and section concerned.
The experts are: Chairman and Managing Director of the Broadcasting Engineering Consultants India Ltd., the Director-Generals of Doordarshan and All India Radio, and the Engineers-in-Chief of DD and AIR.
The Committee may co-opt any number considered necessary from time to time.
Recommendations of the IMC would be communicated to the I&B Ministry Secretary and ‘thereafter to the Minister for instructions on matters relating to the recommendations of Trai.
Applications
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.
