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MSOs impleaded in Trai tariff case
NEW DELHI: Two MSOs – IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd. and Digicable – have been impleaded as parties in the hearing before the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (Tdsat) in the case relating to several broadcasters challenging Trai‘s tariff order for digital addressable systems.
Both the MSOs are supporting the Telecom regulatory Authority of India‘s (Trai) Tariff Order of 21 July, which will become effective on 1 October. The earlier date of implementation (1 September) was put off by a month in view of a Supreme Court hearing on the same issue.
Day-to-day hearing commenced on 14 September and the Tribunal heard counsel CS Vaidyanathan on behalf of Indusind (IMC) and said while the MSOs supported addressability, non-Cas operators cannot be treated at par with DTH or addressability. The rates have, thus, to be different. If the rates charged by broadcasters are realistic, then there will be no under-declaration by cable operators as alleged by the broadcasters.
Trai counsel said that the tariff order was also aimed at encouraging the switch-over to addressability.
Earlier this week, senior advocate Ramji Srinivasan appearing for Star Den Media and Sun TV had said Trai had fixed tariff for DTH sector without fixing the tariff for non-CAS.
“What was the urgency of fixing DTH tariff in relation to non-Cas tariff though it has not been finalised,” Srinivasan had asked.
In its tariff order, Trai made it mandatory for broadcasters to make channels available to DTH and addressable digital cable networks at 35 per cent of the corresponding rates for analogue cable operators. Earlier, Trai had fixed tariff for DTH at 50 per cent of the analogue cable price.
The petitions are by Star Den, Zee Turner and Sun among others. All the four petitions have raised the same prayer, seeking quashing of the Trai Tariff order of 21 July. The petitions are largely similar in the arguments raised by them.
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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.
