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I&B ministry asks cable operators for position on Cas extension
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting met with representatives of the cable TV industry today and asked for their recommendations and level of preparedness for extension of Cas to the whole of the three metros and implementing it on a voluntary basis in the other 55 cities. The ministry has asked the cable operators for their comments within the next week. It is learnt that the ministry met the representatives of MSO Alliance and Cable Operators Federation of India (COFI). I&B secretary Asha Swarup chaired the meeting. “The ministry has asked for our comments,” said MSO Alliance president Ashok Mansukhani while rebutting allegations of restrictive regulations in a round table on Pay TV industry organised by Casbaa, saying that there is need to interface with the government before making sweeping statements. Talking to indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of the event, Mansukhani said the ministry has asked for the observations of Cofi and MSO Alliance within the next seven days. “The secretary was very positive and wants us to state our position on the issues,” Mansukhani said. The ministry also has asked the two bodies to place their observations on raising the FDI cap for the cable television industry. Sources said that the ministry is asking for things like whether the MSOs and cable operators are in a position to go for the extension and what is their take on the time frame they would need to implement the programme. Informing the two bodies of some of the objections raised by both consumers and broadcasters, the ministry has asked for the response on how these issues would be dealt with by the carriers of content, it is learnt. Trai has already said that not only should Cas be extended to the rest of the metros, but also should roll out voluntarily in the 55 other cities.
Present at the meeting from the government side, apart from Swarup, were all top officials as well as Trai advisor (Cable and Satellite) R N Choubey, it is learnt.
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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.
