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Zee to expand mobile platform; in talks with foreign telcos
MUMBAI: Zee network is planning to expand its presence in the US and UK on the mobile platform and is in advanced talks with telecom majors to offer shows from its content library. “We are in discussions with some of the largest telecom players in the US and UK. This would provide a new platform for us to widen our audience base,” says Digital Media Convergence Ltd (DMCL) CEO Ishwar Jha. DMCL is creating a footprint in India and has exclusively tied up with state-owned telecom giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for this. “We are not looking at other telecom players in India for our digital content on mobile platforms. We found that BSNL is equipped with good infrastructure and bandwidth to give us a pan India presence,” says Jha. DMCL, promoted by the Essel Group, recently announced launch of the mobile TV application platform ‘Isee‘ in north India in collaboration with BSNL. The company claims to have tied up 2500 subscribers within a week of Isee‘s launch. The service comes free for the first 30 days, but consumers will be subsequently charged Rs 150 per month. Isee users have unlimited access to content which is currently under the labels of Isee TV, Isee Zee, Taaza and Masti. The application has been developed by Czezh Republic based technology firm U-Turn Media Group. DMCL is planning for a national roll out in the next three months. “We are currently in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Jammu and Kashmir. We are currently trying to get feedback from our subscribers on the quality of service and transmission. We will have a nationwide presence within three months,” says Jha. Having only introduced Hindi content, DMCL will be offering on the mobile platform regional language shows from the Zee network. The company is also looking at sourcing content outside the Zee network to offer to the mobile operators. “Our mobile platform is open to other content providers and the revenue model will be advertisement driven. We are basically trying to create a content mall running on advertising,” Jha says.
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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.
