Applications
Indiatimes 588888 launches Mobile Voice service
MUMBAI: Indiatimes 588888 introduces Mobile Voice value-added service (VAS), which enables a user to start listening to the gossips, news, astro tips and music. |
The service is live across all major telecom operators including Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance, Tata, MTNL and BPL, and will be backed by a 360-degree campaign across media vehicles. Indiatimes 58888 claims of a user base of 30 million subscribers and being accessible to the entire mobile base of 250 million mobile users across the country. |
| Available currently in English and Hindi, it will soon introduce its service in Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil, said an official release. Times Internet Ltd CEO and MD Dinesh Wadhawan said, “This is the first and only pan-operator pan-India single number service which is common to voice, SMS and Wap. With this launch, we are going to change the way consumers use their phones. We will not only fill the current voids in the mobile VAS segment but also constantly deliver new and relevant products.” |
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.
