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Soni meets LCOs to discuss on digitisation deadline
NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni met local cable operators today to seek their opinions on digitisation deadline in the four metros.
The LCOs said that Soni has asked them to move the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) about their revenue share of Rs 45 in the basic service tier of Rs 100 with the MSOs, if they were unhappy about it.
The cable operators further stated that Soni had assured them that Additional Secretary Rajiv Takru, who is the Ministry‘s representative to Trai, would also accompany any delegation that decided to meet the regulator on this issue.
Around 15 local cable operators, who had demonstrated outside Shastri Bhavan on 15 June against the low share in the BST, had been called by the Minister for a discussion today.
A S Kohli, who led the delegation of the LCOs from West Delhi, told indiantelevision.com that while not giving any direct indication, Soni sought their opinion on the period of deferment of digitisation which is scheduled for 1 July in the four metros.
Soni did not agree with some of the operators who wanted a deferment of up to one year, but indicated that a lesser period could be considered.
The LCOs said that Rs 45 was too small an amount since they had to interact with the consumer and not the multi-system operators (MSOs).
The LCOs told Soni that their fee prior to digitisation has been Rs 82 on the basic service tier under CAS and, therefore, it cannot be reduced below that level.
The LCOs also complained about the poor quality of the STBs in the market.
In the memorandum submitted to her office on 15 June, the LCOs had also said that none of the MSOs have declared the pay channel rates or packages, but the government still wants them to force subscribers to buy STBs. Consumers do not know what they will get in the digital regime and at what price. It has become difficult for the LCOs to answer inquiries from consumers.
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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.
