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TDSAT orders ETV to give digital feed to Ortel
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal has ordered ETV to give its ETV Telugu feed to Ortel Communications of Orissa via decoders. ETV has been told as a last chance to give the feed within the next seven days. The order was passed on 22nd May, while hearing a contempt petition filed by Ortel for ETV not complying with two earlier interim orders of the tribunal.The TDSAT has disallowed ETV‘s attempt to comply with the tribunal‘s earlier order by giving it through ETV-Zee TV joint venture, Variety Entertainment Pvt Ltd. |
Ortel, which has started rolling out voluntary Cas in Orissa, had been fighting for receiving the feed for its digital platform, and had filed the case some months ago, when ETV decide not to give the feed.Earlier this year, TDSAT had first ordered the Andhra-based broadcaster to give the feed for voluntary Cas, but later stayed its interim order when ETV argued that not the tribunal, but Parliament alone could roll out Cas.However, in the subsequent order, the tribunal vacated the stay and held that it had not usurped the Parliament‘s role and had not ordered Cas roll out, because it had confined to ordering giving digital feed to a player that was rolling out Cas voluntarily.TDSAT had ordered ETV then to give the feed by 9 April, though ETV consistently denied this feed. |
Meanwhile, Zee TV and ETV formed a JV MSO, Variety Entertainment Pvt Ltd, which they said would give the feed via cable to Ortel. ETV had alleged to indiantelevision.com that it had been forced to take this step as Ortel was being backed by political powers and had been known to resort to strong arm tactics.Ortelt had denied such allegations.But Ortel had demanded the feed for its digital platform and that was the TDSAT order as well, which ETV refused to comply with.Ortel had then filed a contempt petition, which was heard on 22 May. Ortel reiterated that first of all, it was well known in the industry that rival MSO giving a feed usually undermines the receiving MSOs business.Besides, it pointed out to a specific order of the Supreme Court in the Sea TV case that a rival MSO could not be the agent of a broadcaster.The tribunal has now said that this would be the last chance for ETV to give the digital feed via decoder to Ortel, failing which the contempt issue would be taken up. |
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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.
