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Trai against allowing govt or govt entities in broadcasting and distribution
MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has stuck to its November 2008 recommendation that central and state governments or entities owned by them should not be allowed to be in broadcasting and television channel distribution businesses.
Trai on Friday submitted its recommendations to the Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry on "Issues related to entry of government or government entities into the business of broadcasting and/or distribution of TV channels".
The I&B Ministry had made a reference to the regulator in November to give its views on allowing central government ministries, central/state government departments, central/state government owned companies, central/state government undertakings, joint venture of the central/state governments and the private sector and central/state government funded entities may in the business of broadcasting and/or distribution of TV channels.
Trai has also reiterated its view that the government should provide an appropriate exit route to government or government-owned companies which have already been accorded permission to carry on the business of television channel distribution.
The immediate impact of the Trai recommendation is on Arasu Cable TV Corporation, the Tamil Nadu government-owned company engaged in cable TV distribution business.
Trai has recommended that suitable provisions be incorporated in the proposed new legislation on broadcasting to provide for an appropriate exit route for such entities which have been already granted permission by the government but are likely to be hit by the proposed disqualifications.
Trai has also said that the government should further strengthen the arm‘s length relationship between the public broadcaster Prasar Bharti and the central government. Trai said measures should ensure functional independence and autonomy of Prasar Bharti.
Pending enactment of any new legislation on broadcasting, the disqualifications recommended for political bodies to enter into broadcasting and/or distribution activities should be implemented through executive decision by incorporating the disqualifications into Rules, Regulations and Guidelines as necessary, Trai further said in its recommendations.
These recommendations are in continuation of the earlier recommendations that it had made in November 2008 following an exhaustive consultation process after the I&B Ministry in December 2007 sought Trai‘s recommendations whether state governments and political bodies should be permitted to enter into broadcasting and distribution activities.
In the consultation process, Trai had comprehensively examined the issue in the broader context of both central as well as state governments and their respective organs.
Trai based its recommendations on the Sarkaria Commission report which said a political party controls the executive and there could be "a temptation to use the media wrongly in party interest and not necessarily in national interest".
While the observations in Sarkaria Commission report were made in the context of the Union Executive, the same logic, Trai says, applies to a state government as the spirit of the observation pertains to the exercise of power and control wielded by the government in question.
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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.
