Applications
Digicable in $83 mn outsourcing deal with IBM for Vas push
NEW DELHI: In a significant move towards offering value-added services, Mumbai-based multi-system operator (MSO) Digicable has entered into a 10-year strategic outsourcing agreement with IBM at an initial outlay of Rs 3.8 billion ( $83 million).
IBM will support the integration of Digicable‘s digital media content delivery and Vas such as video-on-demand, interactive TV, Internet services on TV and gaming and telephony.
“We will roll out the services within four months. The set-top boxes (STBs) can also enable us to offer DVR services at a much lower cost than DTH,” said Digicable MD and CEO Jagjit Singh Kohli.
Digicable will be sourcing the STBs from Indieon Technologies, a Pune-based digital multimedia products and content delivery solutions provider. The company manufactures hybrid STBs for cable and IPTV-based delivery medium. It has integrated PVR over USB 2.0 interface.
“The STBs will start from Rs 2500 upwards,” says Kohli.
Digicable will offer Cable Radio with around 50 channels and costing around Rs 700 to Rs 1,000, next-generation VoD , Internet over TV, online interactive 3D gaming, and High Definition TV.
At a later stage, Kohli hopes to introduce ‘Third Screen,‘ an extension of the system to the mobile screen or even the remote.
IBM Director (Solutions and Business Development India/South Asia) KS Raghunandan said it had chosen to tie up with Digicable because of its media expertise. He said media and entertainment was growing at a rapid pace in India and would help IBM to grow. Though the present agreement was with an outlay of Rs 3.8 billion, this may go up if the system achieved success.
With a strong focus across all segments of the media and entertainment industry, he said IBM had the deep business insights and technology know-how to help Digicable solve complex business problems and build a more intelligent enterprise by accelerating the transformation of their business.
As part of the agreement, IBM will provide IT infrastructure services, network support, application maintenance services and security services. IBM will leverage its strength in hardware and software solutions – to assess and help optimize operations for Central/Remote Head Ends and physical/digital assets. IBM will also implement and manage core applications and services, including B2B/B2C and employee Portals, voucher and credit management systems, EBPP (Electronic Bill Presentation & Payment), Intellectual Property Management (IPM) and ERP.
Applications
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.
