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Sun Direct initiates legal action against ‘defamatory’ media
MUMBAI: Kalanithi Maran-promoted Sun Direct said Tuesday it has initiated legal action against certain newspapers who have, in the last two days, cast apprehensions on the DTH company and it business partner Astro group.
Some media reports had cast doubts on Astro’s investment in the DTH arm. Astro‘s owner, through another company, has invested in Aircel in India.
Sun Direct said in a statement that the company “strongly objects to such malicious and derogatory news reporting which are aimed at tarnishing its image and reputation.”
It said that legal action has already been initiated with the respective news media and “we will be filing defamation cases and civil proceedings claiming damages for causing disrepute to Sun Direct against such newspapers.”
It further said that certain people with “vested interests” are circulating these “false and defamatory statements” and “we call upon media not to get carried away by such frivolous and false news and information,” the statement read.
Sun Direct said that Sun TV entered into an MoU with the Astro Group way back in January 1997 which was widely reported in many newspapers, when Aircel was not in existence. It said that since the Government of India did not allow the use of KU band transponders for DTH services, the project was put on hold.
It further added that in 1997 neither was Dayanadhi Maran an MP nor a minister. “Which indicates that Astro was interested in doing the DTH business with Sun Network long back, contrary to the claims laid in the news reporting,” it said.
It also added that Dayanadhi Maran is not a shareholder in Sun Direct, and is not connected with the DTH business in any manner. Also, Sun Direct has no connection to Aircel and to link this up is “nothing but a figment of imagination.”
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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.
