Applications
Digital task force holds first meet
NEW DELHI: The first meeting of the 18-member Task Force constituted to oversee and facilitate the implementation of digital addressable cable TV systems in the country was informed that the Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd. (BECIL) had entered into an agreement with Society for Broadband Professionals (SCTE) of London to receive training in digitisation.
BECIL will then impart the training to Indian personnel involved in the digitisation process.
With the roadmap for digitisation now clear, the Task Force headed by Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s Additional Secretary Rajiv Takru took preliminary steps to work out the modalities of the implementation of the various phases of digitisaion.
The first meet was held more than two months after the Task Force was set up.
The Task Force was set up in early May to act as a nodal body as well as an interface between the Government and the industry in all matters related to the implementation of digital addressable system in cable sector and oversee and supervise the implementation of digitalisation.
Ministry sources told indiantelevision.com that the nodal officers of the states in which the first phase of digitisation would take place were asked to hold meetings at the local level.
A need was stressed for imparting more publicity and information about the advantages of digitisation so that people can adapt to the newer technologies.
Some stakeholders complained about tariff issues relating to interconnectivity and quality of service regulations set by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
The Task Force was set up to study the roadblocks that exist in the way to digitalisation and suggest suitable measures to address those in an efficient manner so as to enable the various stakeholders to carry forward the process of digitalisation, and analyse the experience of digitalisation process elsewhere in the world; they were to develop a blue print for smooth transition from analogue to digital addressable system in India.
The Joint Secretary (Broadcasting) in the Ministry is the member-Convener of the Task Force. The Force also has the Principal Adviser (Broadcasting and Cable Services) in Trai, representatives of the Departments of Telecom, Information Technology, Prasar Bharati, an expert from the Broadcasting Engineering Consultants (India) Ltd., and four representatives of Consumer Groups/Organizations, according to the digitisation implementation schedule.
In addition, there is representation from the Cable Operators Federation of India, Multi System Operator (MSO) Alliance, the Direct-to-Home Association, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Confederation of Indian Industry, Assocham, Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association.
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.
