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Times Group channels launch in Africa
MUMBAI: As part of its global expansion plan, Times Television Network has signed a distribution deal with Zuku Cable and DTH for launching the channels in African countries.
The three channels – English general news channel Times Now, business news channel ET Now and Zoom (Bollywood entertainment channel) – will now be available in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and other countries of Sub Saharan East and Central Africa.
The channels will be accessible on Zuku Cable and DTH, owned by Wananchi Group Holdings Ltd. The company has major media and telecom holdings in East Africa region. Zuku Cable is spread over 10 countries including Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The group is planning to launch the three channels across the countries having a South Asian population and is in talks with different service providers for this purpose, a senior company executive said..
Earlier, in July, Times Group had launched Times Now and Zoom in Australia and New Zealand on Vision Asia, the independent multi-channel pay television platform.
Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL) MD Vineet Jain said, “Having successfully targeted the South Asian community based in Australia and New Zealand a few months back and in keeping with the objective of building our brands internationally, we have now ventured into Africa. With Zuku Cable we will now be able to serve the entertainment and news needs of the South Asian diaspora residing in Sub-Saharan Central and East Africa. We are excited to be part of this emerging market opportunity.”
Zuku Cable currently has over 15,000 households on its platform and it claims to grow 300,000 subscribers in next few years. Times Now, ET Now, and Zoom will be packaged as a part of the basic pack on Zuku Cable.
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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.
