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SC dismisses anti-CAS petition
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today dismissed on technical grounds a petition filed against implementation of CAS in the three metros of Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai. The special leave petition (SLP) had been filed by United Cable Operators‘ Welfare Association of India. |
After studying the petition, the Apex court today decided that the SLP did not merit a hearing on a number of grounds, according to information available with Indiantelevision.com. The petitioner, amongst several other reasons, had said that rollout of CAS would not be beneficial for consumers and should be deferred as DTH technology had already come in to the country. |
| Interestingly, while it had argued in the court against the rollout of CAS, the petitioner has been party to almost all CAS-related meetings organised by the government since 2002. According to a Delhi High Court mandated arrangement, agreed upon by the government and the industry, CAS is slated to be rolled out in the south zones of Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai from 1 January 2007. The sector regulator has already paved the way for the implementation of CAS by deciding on the prices of pay and free to air channels in a CAS regime |
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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.
