Applications
DTH operators eye Onam to grow in Kerala with festive offers
MUMBAI: Direct-to-home (DTH) operators are turning to Kerala to mop up subscribers during the Onam festive season with special packages. Big TV and Sun Direct have announced their special festival offers. Big TV has unveiled a limited period offer, ‘The Smart South-2590‘, valid till 9 September. The offer includes ‘Get Starter Kit‘ for Rs 1,490 and recharge coupon voucher of Rs 110. The Smart South-2590 service pack comes with a total of 83 channels that includes 15 Sun channels and other south regional language channels. The offer also enables subscribers to watch ESPN, Star Sports, Star Cricket, NDTV India, NDTV 24X7, NDTV Profit and Animax, Discovery, Discovery Travel and Living and Nick. Other features include 12 months free subscription of south starter Lite Pack plus eight channels, one free regional pack, an interactive service application and 10 audio channels. “This limited period offer is to spread the festive cheer during Onam. The Smart South 2590 offer signifies Reliance Big TV‘s constant endeavour to offer value to its viewers in Kerala,” said Reliance Big TV senior VP Umesh Rao. In the Sun Direct Onam offer, customers get a new connection for Rs 440 (plus Rs 1250 as activation charges) with a four-month free subscription of 200 channels with seven basic packs and 41 add-on packs. The customers will also get a “Pookalilundhu Sowbhagyam” scratch card with Rs 25 to Rs 1350 assured gifts. The new customers will also get a chance to win gifts worth Rs 10 million that includes gold coins, Hero Honda Spelendor bike and Chevrolet Spark car in a lucky draw.
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.
