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Zeel to hold 60% in JV with Geodesic
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) has formed a joint venture company with Geodesic for content monetisation on the mobile and online platforms.
Zeel will have a 60 per cent stake in the joint venture entity, ITM Digital, as it seeks to tap into the convergence and mobile Vas (value-added services) market that is expected to see rapid growth in future years.
Mundu TV, part of Geodesic‘s business that provides live television streaming on mobile phones and desktops, will be brought into the JV, according to a source familiar with the development.
Zeel will offer its wide range of entertainment assets while Geodesic, a provider of content, communication and collaboration solutions, will bring in the technology.
“Zeel has already digitised most of its entertainment content. The JV will not require much investments,” adds the source.
The new company will launch real time and on-delivery entertainment applications for the mobile and Internet enabled devices.
Says Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka, “The combination of Zee’s expertise in content and programming strength, across media properties and Geodesic’s cutting edge technology is aimed to provide consumers a world of exciting user experiences. This alliance will enable us to deliver optimised levels of Internet integration across our range of assets and product categories. With this venture, we aim to capture the unexplored power of this medium that the Indian audience is fast adapting to.”
As the first step in this collaboration, ITM Digital will launch content-rich and interactive Internet TV on the mobile and desktop platforms.
The application will stream over 20 live television channels and several on-demand video channels. Consumers across all telecom networks will be able to download the application, discover, access, and schedule content through an easy-to-use interface using their data plans (GPRS /EDGE / Wi-Fi) on their mobile phones, desktops and across the web.
“The alliance will allow both companies to drive new growth opportunities and has the potential to ultimately transform the way mobile and digital value added services are consumed by users at large. Geodesic and Zeel are engaging at technology, marketing and business levels to bring information, entertainment and the power of the mobile platform to consumers across India,” says Geodesic MD Kiran Kulkarni.
The two companies are exploring opportunities in extending the alliance to combine Zeel group’s other entertainment assets and Geodesic’s extended mobile products portfolio.
ITM will provide consumers a range of content rich entertainment applications that promises to enhance user experience and provide value and choice to consumers on their mobile phones and desktops.
The Essel group had earlier floated Digital Media Convergence Ltd as part of the network‘s foray into digital entertainment. The activity of integrating digital content aggregation and delivery technology has been brought under Zeel.
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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.
