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Big TV offers popular Marathi plays for Rs 25
MUMBAI: In line with its strategy to ramp up market share in Maharashtra by providing local content, Big TV has acquired more Marathi plays which it will showcase on its direct-to-home (DTH) platform.
Big TV will offer its customers the plays for Rs 25 till 10 August on its Choice Pay Channel (CPC) platform.
The plays include Purush, Raigada La Jevha Jaag Yete, Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoay, Hasva Fasvi, Ranaangan, Tee Phool Rani, and Kusum Manohar Lele.
Big TV SVP Umesh Rao said, “This is a small initiative from our side to promote Marathi art and culture. This will surely open the doors for our audience to the rich and timeless world of Marathi theatre.”
The DTH operator has also signed an agreement for the rights of late Marathi playwright PL Deshpande’s stage plays. It allows Big TV to showcase the theatre works including Deshpande‘s super-hit stage productions Nivadak Pula Deshpande – Volume 1 to 6, Batatyachi Chal and Pula Deshpande Ratnabhandar.
Earlier in February, the company had launched a new Marathi package comprising four Marathi channels – Zee Marathi, ETV Marathi, Star Pravah and Zee Talkies – for a monthly subscription of Rs 5, if Marathi is selected as a first language. It has also added a bouquet of Marathi channels like IBN Lokmat, Star Majha, DD Sahayadri and Mi Marathi to its base pack.
On the movie front, Big TV has launched a special Marathi cinema showcase on its pay platform. It has acquired the DTH rights of popular Marathi super-hits including Samantar, Paandhar, Housefull, Zapatlela and Aaplee Mansaa amongst others.
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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.
