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Star expands reach of 4 channels on Comcast
MUMBAI: Star India, the wholly owned subsidiary of News Corporation, has expanded its partnership with Comcast by launching four channels into two additional US markets, Washington DC and Philadelphia
The four channels are Star Plus (Hindi general entertainment channel), Star One (youth-orientated entertainment channel), Star News (Hindi news channel) and Star Gold (Bollywood movie channell.
The Washington DC market availability includes the District of Columbia, Loudoun County in Virginia, and Frederick, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland.
In addition, Star Plus is now also available on Comcast throughout its Colorado service area including Denver and Colorado Springs. Star channels are already distributed by Comcast in multiple locations across the United States, including California, Georgia, Texas, Illinois, Florida and Washington State.
“The increasing penetration of our channels is a testament of our ongoing efforts, and growing partnership, with Comcast to bring the best of South Asian entertainment to viewers across the nation,” said Star Sr VP of distribution, sales and marketing and head of Star’s North American office David Wisnia.
This channels will be part of Comcast’s Xfinity services, which include 100+ HD channels, 50 to 70 foreign-language channels, on demand video choices and broadband speeds of up to 50-100+ Mbps.
Xfinity also offers online entertainment choices through Xfinity TV online as well as applications that enable customers to program a DVR from the Internet or a mobile device, and cross-platform features like Caller ID to the TV and PC.
In Colorado, Star Plus is available on Comcast Digital TV channel 674. In the Philadelphia and Washington DC markets, Star Plus can be found on Comcast Digital TV channel 693, Star News on channel 690, Star Gold on channel 696 and Star One on channel 692.
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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.
