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Digital penetration in four metro cities at 77 per cent, says MIB
MUMBAI: Amidst allegations of fudged figures on digitisation penetration, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Wednesday said that the cable television digitisation in the four metros has increased to 77 per cent twenty days before the deadline for shutting down analogue signal.
The digitisation penetration in the four metros according to MIB is 99 per cent in Mumbai, followed by 73 per cent in Kolkata, 66 per cent in Delhi and 59 per cent in Chennai.
The MIB said the digitisation penetration will go up to 84 per cent in the four metros if the cable TV and direct-to-home penetration is taken into account.
The figure was based on data provided by multi-system operators (MSOs) and direct-to-home (DTH) and data derived from 2011 Census. The MIB said that during the initial stage of planning the data was collated based on the information supplied by the MSOs.
The ministry observed that there were grave discrepancies in data provided, particularly number of cable TV subscribers in four metro cities as it did not present the true picture largely due to duplication of cable connections. It also said that the data did not reflect the numbers vis-? -vis service and entertainment tax collection.
“In view of the given discrepancy, the Ministry has under taken the exercise to base the data Census of India 2011, released by Office of Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. This data has authentic figures relating to households and TV penetration in four metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai,” the MIB said in a statement.
City wise data for Metro Cities can be seen in the Table below:
To buttress its point of using census data to calculate digitisation penetration, the MIB said that the census data has been widely used both Government and non Government agencies for planning and policy purposes as data collection is done by house to house survey by an impartial body.
As per the data released by MIB on the basis of census figures, 1.86 million STBs have been installed with set-top boxes out of 2.24 million TV households in the city. Out of the 2.24 million TV households, there are 1.54 million cable TV homes and 0.7 million DTH homes.
In Delhi, 1.58 million STBs have been installed out of 1.99 million cable TV subscribers. Kolkata with 2.02 million cable TV subscribers has seen installation of 1.47 million STBs while Chennai with 0.43 million cable TV subscribers has seen installation of 0.25 million STBs.
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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.
