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IndiaCast collaborates with iStream to carry its content online
MUMBAI: IndiaCast, the joint venture between TV18 and Viacom18, has entered into a multi-year licensing deal with online TV service provider iStream.com.
The deal will give iStream.com access to IndiaCast’s library of content from a bouquet of the network’s 20 channels for its streaming and video on demand services online and Internet-enabled devices including smart phones and tablets.
It will also allow IndiaCast to broaden its audience base by distributing its content on the fast growing digital platform.
iStream.com audience will now have access to content from Viacom 18’s leading entertainment channels like Colors and MTV, TV18’s leading news channels like CNN IBN, CNBC TV18, CNBC Awaaz, IBN 7 and IBN Lokmat, History 18 from A&E 18 and the entire bouquet of regional channels from the ETV channels.
“This is one of the most important deals we have signed so far. IndiaCast brings to the table, some of the most-watched TV networks in the country, giving us access to one of the largest libraries of news, entertainment and regional content," said iStream.com founder & CEO Radhakrishnan Ramachandran.
IndiaCast Group CEO Anuj Gandhi Added, “With the digital space becoming more main stream and evolving with the speed of every second, it is imperative for us to take our content from television to online and give access to our viewers across all platforms. We are excited to collaborate with iStream as we see a team that has the expertise and capabilities to ensure that our content reaches out to the right audiences in the right format, broadening our audience base.”
iStream.com will have dedicated landing pages for each of these channels and will showcase some of the reality shows like Bigg Boss and India’s Got Talent, fiction shows like Balika Vadhu & Uttaran, popular youth shows like MTV Roadies and Splitsvilla.
Besides, with ETV’s bouquet of channels, regional audiences can have their own share of fiction and reality shows, like the hugely popular Abhiskekam and the Rasoi show.
iStream.com adds hundreds of new videos every day to its library of over 200,000 clips of news, shows and movies in five Indian languages from over 80 channels. It also streams 26 news channels live in English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam.
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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.
