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Optibase and Time expand IPTV services for MTNL India
MUMBAI: Optibase Ltd. and its partner Time Broadband Services Pvt Ltd, broadband content services operator, are expanding their IPTV solution to India‘s state-owned telecom service provider, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL). |
MTNL recently launched IPTV services through Time Broadband, utilising Optibase‘s IPTV MGW 5100 platforms for its digital IPTV head-end operation at the company’s network operating centre. Time Broadband is all set to deploy IPTV services on both TV and PC delivery through network and internet service providers across India. Following the initial deployment of Optibase MGW 5100 IP video head-ends providing 26 channels of telco-grade streaming, Optibase has now supplied an additional 74 channels, totaling 100 MPEG-4 Part 10 H.264/advanced video coding (AVC) channels, asserts an official release. Together with Time Broadband, Optibase is enabling the launch of their IPTV services in Delhi – one of the affluent areas in terms of average revenue per user (ARPU), with high sign-on rates for broadband internet services. |
Time Broadband Services managing director Sujata Dev said, “During the initial deployment, Optibase demonstrated their extensive IPTV know-how relating to H.264 AVC. We decided to select the Optibase MGW 5100 integrated digital head ends for the full-scale commercial launch. We are confident that this productive relationship with the high level of commitment from Optibase will continue into the future with our plans for further growth of our IPTV services in prominent locations of the Indian market through multiple telecom operator relationships.” Optibase CFO Danny Lustiger added, “We are delighted with the success of our first installation of Time Broadband at MTNL Delhi network and look forward to a long-term collaboration with our globally eminent CDN partners, driving the large scale deployment of IPTV in India. Optibase combines high quality products with world-class services, providing MTNL with a carrier-grade IPTV solution required for the expansion of triple-play services in the Delhi metropolitan high growth potential market.” |
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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.
