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Unregulated growth of TV channels can lead to spectrum crunch: Zohra
NEW DELHI: While spectrum is available, unregulated growth of television channels can lead to a crunch situation, according to Information and Broadcasting Ministry Joint Secretary (Broadcasting) Zohra Chatterjee.
The aim is to act in time to have a set of guidelines for clearing applications for new channels and to know if there is a need to put a cap on the total number in a scenario where the country is already uplinking or downlinking over 500 channels, Chatterjee said.
Chatterjee defended the government’s action in asking the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to study the number of television channels that can be permitted in the country on the ground that spectrum may not be available for too long.
Asked how so many channels had been permitted until now, she said the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines were formulated in November 2005, by which time a large number of channels were already being downlinked.
Addressing a session on the need for a National Media Policy at Convergence 2010, she said in reply to a question that the cable operator was at present responsible for telecast of any channel that was not permitted.
At the same time, she said there was no bar on the local channels that cable operators started on their own catering to their respective areas.
All the participants were unanimous that the time had come for a National media policy.
However, Bharti Telemedia Chief Marketing Officer Sugato Banerji said with digitisation, satellite space would always be there.
Latens Regional Director Asia Rahul Nehra regretted the lack of single window clearance as in neighbouring countries like Nepal.
NSTPL managing director Ankur Jain felt the whole issue about spectrum had been misunderstood. Satellite spectrum is abundantly available, he said, referring to a new satellite to be launched soon by Isro. He regretted the artificial shortage had been created because there was no sharing of infrastructure.
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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.
