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Airtel digital TV adds two interactive services
MUMBAI: Airtel digital TV, the DTH service from Bharti Airtel, has added two new interactive services – iDarshan and iGoodlife to its interactive offerings.
With the addition, the DTH player now offers five such applications as part of its interactive services portfolio, which also includes iLearn, iNews and iAstro.
iDarshan would enable subscribers to enjoy live aarti from the four shrines-Tirupati, Vaishno Devi , Golden Temple and Shirdi. Apart from this, the iTVapplication would also have library content playing when the live aarti is not available.
iDarshan is powered by Shemaroo and Divinevistaas. The channel will bring live aartis every morning and evening, devotional movies and songs, debates, discussions, pravachans, satsangs, discourses, travel episodes from shrines across the country and pilgrimage information.
Meanwhile, iGoodlife is aimed at the increasingly discerning home-maker who looks to continually improve the home environs that suit both their lifestyle and individual needs of their family members. This iTV application has content centred around four categories – cooking, health, lifestyle and family and is powered by NDTV GoodTimes.
Both the services will be available for now as free preview for a week, post which iDarshan would be available at Rs 15 per month and iGoodlife at Rs 10 per month a la carte.
Designed so as to provide multiple video/audio feeds at the same time, the applications enable the customers to catch up with their particular interests, anytime they like.
Bharti Airtel chief marketing officer, Airtel digital TV Sugato Banerji said, “Content has always been central to our endeavours at Airtel digital TV. We understand that lifestyle and devotional content have been the biggest forms of entertainment for India. We are delighted to introduce the two new interactive services on our digital TV platform. We believe iDarshan and iGoodlife are powerful services that will enrich the lives of our valued customers by providing choice and convenience. Airtel digital TV has always led the way in introducing industry leading innovations and these introductions will make for an interesting blend of content that is more engaging and fulfilling for our customers.”
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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.
