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DD’s DTH platform to expamd to 150 channels by year-end
NEW DELHI: Encouraged by the success of the e-auction of the slots on its free-to-air DTH platform DD Direct Plus, Prasar Bharati today approved the expansion to 250 channels.
This will be done in two stages: 150 channels by December 2011 and another 100 channels in the next calendar year.
This figure includes the slots for which e-auctions were held. Doordarshan recently e-auctioned and allotted 26 slots to private broadcasters on DD Direct Plus, bringing in Rs 630 million. This is more than three times the amount generated before migrating to the e-auction mechanism two months ago (charging Rs 8 million per slot).
The Prasar Bharati Board in its 104th meeting took note of the result of the latest auction of the six vacant slots on the DTH platform at the prices ranging from Rs 32.1 million to Rs 35 million per year.
It was decided to consider adoption of the e-auction model for programming of slots on Doordarshan as well.
In a major policy decision, All India Radio FM Stations are to be expanded to all 313 cities planned for coverage under the FM expansion scheme of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
The Prasar Bharati Board in a meeting today approved a token allocation of Rs 3 billion as bridge finance for undertaking this work to be recouped from the Government once the scheme of expansion of FM coverage by All India Radio is approved and adopted in the 12th Five Year Plan.
The Board also approved the creation of 2183 operations and maintenance posts for All India Radio to cover new projects as well as the Jammu and Kashmir special package. A similar scheme for Doordarshan has been sought and is expected to be approved before the end of September 2011.
The Board reviewed the strengthening of the Finance Wing of Prasar Bharati and approved nine posts at the level of General Manager and Manager, exclusively for strengthening Finance, Budget and Accounting Wings of Prasar Bharati.
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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.
