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Airtel Digital TV mops up 2.5 mn subscribers, launches PVR
MUMBAI: Airtel Digital TV has mopped up over 2.5 million subscribers and launched its personal video recorder (PVR) to target premium consumers.
“We have crossed 2.5 million subscribers. We have a 25 per cent share in the incremental subscribers. With the next fiscal having a heavy line up of sporting events, we hope to see our growth accelerating,” Bharti Airtel director & CEO – DTH Ajai Puri tells Indiantelevision.com.
Puri expects 30-40 per cent of the subscribers to eventually buy personal video recorders. “Globally, 30-40 per cent of the new DTH subscribers buy personal video recorders. And I expect the same trend to follow in India. But yes, it will take a longer time,” he says.
Priced at Rs 6,990, the new product has a recording capacity of up to 100 hours and consists of a 160 GB hard disk. The existing Airtel users, however, can avail an upgrade PVR at Rs 5,990.
“The recorder integrates television to mobile phones that will enable consumers to use their cell phones to record television from anywhere. Consumers can also download television programme menu on their cell phones using this special application. The recorder also allows viewers to record, pause or rewind live television,” says Puri.
Tata Sky, the joint venture DTH company between Tata Group and Star, has already launched its PVR service.
Will Airtel Digital TV launch HD services ahead of the Commonwealth Games in October? “We are gearing up to launch HD services in the earliest possible time frame,” says Puri.
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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.
