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DTH operators in promo drive to lure subscribers
MUMBAI: Direct-to-home operators have lined up free subscription offers in a bid to acquire subscribers. Tata Sky has just announced a special promotional offer ‘1pe3 2pe5‘ while Zee Group‘s Dish TV has an ongoing Summer Holiday Bonanza which, on purchase of a connection, allows customers to avail of a four month free subscription to the top end Maxi package and a free season ticket for 24 movies on demand. Tata Sky‘s offer, on the other hand, entails three months of free subscription on the purchase of one connection and five months free subscription on the purchase of two or more connections. Consumers, however, have to purchase Tata Sky by 23 July. Existing Tata Sky subscribers can also avail of this offer. Tata Sky‘s top-end package, Jumbo Super Saver Pack, comprises 99 Hindi, English, regional and sports channels along with six interactive services and is priced at Rs 300 per month. Meanwhile, Dish TV has three optional monthly packages – a Maxi package of 115 channels priced at Rs 300, a Welcome package of 85 channels at Rs 262 and a Freedom Plus package of 55 channels at Rs 160. The current subscription offer, which was introduced on 5 May, gives customers the Maxi package free for the first four months, following which they can choose their own package. The movies on demand feature is priced at Rs 1320. Apart from the promotional offer, Tata Sky has also introduced online recharge options to enhance subscriber convenience. Subscribers can now pay for their subscription on www.tatasky.com through their credit card/net banking accounts. The online payment option also offers the flexibility of paying for an entire year‘s subscription at a single go. Says Tata Sky MD and CEO Vikram Kaushik, “As part of our endeavour to constantly offer greater choice and convenience to our customers, we have launched the ‘1pe3 2pe5‘ offer and the online recharge functionality. We believe both these initiatives will be appreciated both by our new and existing customers.” In addition to the Super Saver Pack, Tata Sky recently introduced three new channel packages – the Starter Pack, the Family Pack and the Western Pack.
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.
