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MSM Discovery expands IPL HD feed on DTH, cable
MUMBAI: MSM Discovery, the exclusive distribution partner of Multi Screen Media, has signed up Dish TV, Airtel Digital TV and multi system operator Hathway Cable & Datacom for airing of the fifth edition of IPL in high-definition (HD) format.
MSM Discovery has also renewed its HD feed deal with Tata Sky and Sun Direct, the only two DTH operators who had aired the HD feed in the previous season of the Indian Premier League.
MSM Discovery president Rajesh Kaul said, “We will have the IPL HD feed on the main DTH subscribers. Tata Sky and Sun Direct have renewed the deal as they have found value in it. We have also got three other DTH operators in, which gives us a huge reach.”
Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish told Indiantelevision.com that the deal has been signed and the IPL HD feed will be available on Max HD to all the HD subscribers, free of cost.
“We are in talk with other DTH operators like Videocon d2h,” Kaul said.
Hathway Cable & Datacom has bundled the channel with other HD channels in its bouquet. The services are available in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
“The Max HD is a precursor and we will also have HD feed of Sony Entertainment Television and the upcoming sports channel from the MSM bouquet,” Hathway MD and CEO K Jayaraman said.
Hathway customers can buy HD set-top box with 12-18 HD channels and 225 SD channels for Rs 6,666 in the first year. Meanwhile, bundled with broadband at 2 mbps speed the price is Rs 8,888 and for 5 mbps speed it is at Rs 9,999.
“MSOs realise that digitisation is round the corner and will have to compete with DTH. HD service becomes essential in such a scenario where they can tap their premium subscribers,” said Kaul.
IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd, which operates its cable TV business under Incablenet brand, is in talks with MSM Discovery. “Our contract with TheOneAlliance (brand of MSM Discovery) expires on 30 April. We are in talks and this also includes the HD feed,” said IMCL chief executive officer Nagesh Chabria.
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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.
