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LCOs submit memorandum to Soni, protest against Trai‘s rev share tariff order
NEW DELHI: The last mile cable operators of Delhi have presented a memorandum in the office of Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni protesting against the paltry share of just Rs 45 on the basic tier of Rs 100 for 100 free to air channels fixed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
Earlier, around 200 of these operators organised a rally from Jantar Mantar to Shastri Bhawan to protest against the Trai regulations and the ministry‘s diktat for mandatory digitisation, ignoring the concerns of thousands of small cable operators. They also carried placards and raised slogans outside Shastri Bhavan which houses the I&B ministry.
The memorandum listed various demands and asked for a fair share in the cable TV revenue and extension of deadlines for switching off analogue as the city does not have adequate number of set- top boxes to seed in subscriber homes. Many areas of Delhi do not even have digital signal from any MSO, the LCOs claimed.
The LCOs have also complained that none of the MSOs have declared the pay channel rates or packages, but the government still wants them to force subscribers to buy STBs. Consumers do not know what they will get in the digital regime and at what price. It has become difficult for the LCOs to answer inquiries from consumers.
Some of the cable operators at the spot told indiantelevision.com that none of the MSO call centers are operational and customers are contacting only the LCOs, whereas the regulations have reduced their status from the last mile owners to collection agents following the Trai regulations.
LCOs say that they were earlier getting Rs 82 per customer in Cas areas but this had been cut down to Rs 45 or less in DAS areas, the balance going to multi-system operators (MSOs). Their livelihood has been endangered by DAS regulations.
The protesting LCOs have shown their inability to implement DAS, performing tasks expected from them by the regulations like operating a call centre for complaint redress, 24×7 maintain the network of last mile to subscribers, attend to complaints within prescribed period, collect subscriptions on behalf of MSOs and pay channels, and collect taxes on behalf of Centre and state governments etc. out of a mere 45 per cent share in the basic service tier and 35 per cent share of pay channels.
They also pointed out that they needed protection as they would be the first to face the anger of consumers when television screens go blank from 1 July.
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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.
