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SC asks Trai to fix non-Cas cable tariff by 30 June
MUMBAI: The Supreme Court has given the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) time till 30 June to fix tariffs for cable TV operators in non-Cas (conditional access system) areas.
Trai has to take into account the plea of all the stakeholders, including the broadcasters and the multi-system operators (MSOs), a three-judge bench headed by chief justice KG Balakrishnan pointed out.
Broadcasters had earlier expressed dissatisfaction over the accounting systems of the last mile operators while stating that their companies were being properly audited. Trai was looking into the financial details of the entire value chain before it could arrive at a proper non-Cas pricing.
Trai had sought time to complete the exercise of tariff fixation on the ground that the stakeholders were delaying furnishing of financial details.
The cable TV trade was highly fragmented with around 60,000 local cable operators, 6,000 MSOs and 173 broadcasters excluding Prasar Bharati with nearly 80 million subscribers. The pricing policy for cable services had, thus, to be considered in a holistic manner with DTH services
ITrai had said that the tariff fixation exercise for non-Cas areas would likely to be concluded by 31 May.
“The applicant authority is seeking time to complete the tariff regulation exercise in respect of DTH services alongside the finalisation of the eventual tariff dispensation for the non-CAS cable distribution sector,” the sector regulator added.
The regulator’s application seeking time on fixation of DTH tariff is scheduled to come up for hearing before the apex court on 22 January.
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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.
