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Etisalat brings UTV Bindass and UTV Movies to the UAE
MUMBAI: UTV Global Broadcasting is expanding its reach in UAE as it has launched two of its flagship channels – UTV Bindass (youth entertainment channel) and UTV Movies (Hindi movie channel) – on Etisalat.
Etisalat, the Middle East‘s leading telecom operator and TV services provider, has added UTV Bindass and UTV Movies on channel No. 678 and channel No. 665 on its eLife (IPTV) and e-vision (cable TV) platform.
UTV CEO – Broadcasting MK Anand said, “The Middle East is a very important and challenging market for Indian television and we are pleased to join hands with Etisalat for distributing our content to the prominent and significant South Asian diaspora resident in the United Arab Emirates, which is one of the key countries having the largest percentage of Indian expatriates in the region.”
UTV plans to enhance its presence across the entire MENA region by customising its offering as well as developing interactive programming to meet the viewing preferences of the region.
Both the channels will be available as part of the Asian Choice Basic package as well as on a la carte option.
Also, UTV has appointed Mediastream FZE, a Dubai-based media and marketing firm that specialises in television broadcast, TV channel representation and distribution.
“At Etisalat, we always endeavour to provide the most refreshing and relevant content to our e-Life and e-vision customers. The addition of these two new channels will further enrich our bouquet of services, while offering unmatched entertainment to our viewers,” commented e-vision CEO Humaid Rashid Sahoo.
Etisalat eLife customers can view the channels by selecting the existing Asian Choice Basic Package, while e-vision customers will have to subscribe to the new channels by calling the customer care.
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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.
