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Slow pace of STBs & state Govt requests reason for digitisation extension: Soni
NEW DELHI: The sunset date of 30 June for the first phase has been deferred to 31 October because it had been found that only 3.9 million digital set top boxes (STBs) had been installed in the four metros by June against a requirement of 13.3 million, according to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni.
Since more than 9.4 million people did not have STBs by the end of June 2012, this could have rendered their television screens blank causing serious inconvenience to consumers on a mass scale.
The decision to delay the digitsation delay in the four metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai was also influenced by the governments of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal who had demanded modification of the dates ‘in public interest’, Soni told Parliament.
Modifying the date of digitisation in the four metros will not impact the direct-to-home industry (DTH) in any way, she added.
In a statement issued on 20 June, the Ministry had admitted that the orders of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Tariff & Interconnection, and on the Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations and the Consumer Complaint Redressal Regulations had not yet been substantially implemented.
“The assessment of these ground realities compels the I&B Ministry to set a new deadline. It is, however, imperative that the modified target deadline is set with strict benchmarks to ensure that no complacency sets in in the system and the new target date is achieved collectively by all the stakeholders,” it added.
The Task Force comprising all stakeholders constituted by the Ministry in April 2011 had been monitoring the progress made by various stakeholders towards digitisation. The task force has also undertaken field visits and interacted with local stakeholders. Discussions have been regularly held with broadcasters, multi-system operators (MSOs), local cable operators (LCOs), while the I&B Ministry has been in regular contact with the concerned state governments on this issue.
Meanwhile, matters are pending before the Mumbai and Delhi High Courts and Tdsat either seeking deferment, or against the deferment.
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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.
