Applications
MSM Discovery fails to get relief on termination of pact by NDTV
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has refused to interfere with the decision of NDTV to terminate its agreement with MSM Discovery, rejecting an appeal by MSM Discovery against a judgment of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said MSM failed to establish that it would suffer irreparable injury that could not be compensated, if the court did not interfere in the matter. “We are not satisfied that the facts of the present case show and establish any irreparable harm or injury that cannot be compensated in monetary terms,” the court said.
The Court said the case would be examined in detail during the trial by Tdsat before which the main petition was pending. “We are not inclined to interfere with the order passed by the Tdsat rejecting the interim application,” the court further said.
Earlier on 22 December, Justice S Muralidhar of the Court had also dismissed MSM‘s plea challenging the Tdsat declining to give a stay order. Thereafter, MSM Discovery had appealed before the Division Bench, which issued notice to the concerned parties on 15 January.
Tdsat had in early December turned down MSM’s plea challenging NDTV’s termination of channel distribution agreement with it and entering into a fresh agreement with rival firm Star Den, observing that MSM had failed to show as to why NDTV could not terminate their contract.
It said MSM could claim damages for break of contract only if NDTV terminated the contract wrongly.
“There is no reason in this case why NDTV could not terminate the contract. Even an illegal termination of contract may give rise to a claim in damages only,” Tdsat had said.
NDTV had terminated the channel distribution agreement with MSM on 13 December, after issuing a public notice, and entered into a fresh alliance with Star Den.
MSM Discovery approached Tdsat seeking to restrain NDTV from terminating distribution rights of its channels — NDTV 24×7 (English news channel), NDTV Profit (business news channel), NDTV India (Hindi news channel) and NDTV Good Times (lifestyle channel).
MSM Discovery, a joint venture between Multi Screen Media and Discovery Communications, entered into an agreement with NDTV in 2003.
The contract was renewed in 2005 and 2009 for a fixed term fee and it was to expire on 31 March 2012.
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.
