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Tdsat denies Dish TV interim relief on interconnect tariff
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (Tdsat) today refused interim relief to DTH operator Dish TV, which had requested for direction to sports broadcaster ESPN to raise bills in accordance with the reference interconnect offer (RIO) of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
The Tdsat bench comprising Chairman Justice S B Sinha and member P K Rastogi said, however, that the matter to make ESPN sign an agreement with it on the basis of tariff recommended in RIO would be heard expeditiously. The respondents are to file a reply by 14 October and matter will come up for directions on 1 November.
The tribunal also said that regarding the other dispute over renewal of their agreement, Dish TV and ESPN may approach the Supreme Court – particularly since Dish TV had submitted that according to the recent Supreme Court order, ESPN should enter into an agreement based on the new prices of channel. However, ESPN submitted that the apex court order did not apply to existing agreements.
Passing an order on 18 April, the apex court had said that broadcasters charge from DTH operators only up to 35 per cent of rates paid by cable operators for their channels. RIO specifies commercial terms for DTH operators to get signals from broadcasters, as per norms laid down by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
Dish TV and ESPN had entered into an agreement for three channels – ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket – in 12 March 2009, but it was not based on RIO.
According to Dish TV, ESPN refused to sign a new agreement to provide signals on the basis of RIO, and was attempting to force it to pay on the basis of earlier MoU.
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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.
