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Ficci-Frames to focus on digitisation
MUMBAI: With the government fixing a timetable for digitisation, the television trade event Ficci-Frames will have sessions looking at it.
On 14 March there are two sessions. The first session on ‘Addressable digitisation-The Way Forward‘ will have keynotes delivered by Trai chairman Dr JS Sarma and I&B secreratry Uday K Varma. Then there is a panel discussion that will look to identify and address immediate asks for successful implementation of the digital switchover and also on what’s next in the regulatory and market framework to enable and sustain the transition.
The panellists are Star India CEO Uday Shankar, Times Global
Broadcasting CEO, MD Sunil Lulla, Den Networks founder Sameer Manchanda and Zee MD, CEO Punit Goenka.
Another session is ‘Maximising the Power of Digital Distribution‘. Upgrading distribution pipelines would require huge capital outlays.The panellists will share their experiences of how funding challenges have or can be overcome and the process towards digitisation from stakeholders from the entire affected value chain.
The panellists are Den CEO SN Sharma, Turner International India senior VP, MD, Networks and Content Distribution Anshuman Mishra, NDTV Group CEO Vikram Chandra, Ortel co-founder, director Jagi Mangat Panda, FCC former senior legal advisor Professor Jonathan Askin and Government Attorney, US Department of Commerce, Former Program Director, US Government‘s TV Converter Box Coupon Programme Anita Wallgren.
There will also be a session on ‘Financing the Media and Entertainment Business‘ It will offer a at the critical component in M&E financing and its various ways of execution in the sector. The speakers are HDFC Mutual Fund executive director Prashant Jain, Blackstone senior MD private equity Mathew Cyriac, The Allegiance Theater, Hollywood founder, partner Daniel Dubiecki and Zee chief strategy officer Atul Das.
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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.
