Applications
MUMBAI: Consumers in the US are embracing all the various video platforms available to them.
MUMBAI: Consumers in the US are embracing all the various video platforms available to them.
According to the Nielsen Cross-Platform Report for the second quarter of Q2 2011, roughly half (48 per cent) of Americans now watch video online, compared to 10 per cent for mobile and 97 per cent for traditional TV. Even with already near-universal usage levels, traditional TV viewing saw an increase of two hours 43 minutes per month—with New Orleans taking the lead as the city that watches the
most primetime TV.
Over the past two years, since second quarter of 2009, timeshifted TV viewing jumped 31 per cent with near-constant growth. Americans spend more than quadruple the time per week watching timeshifted content on a TV (via DVR, video on demand or DVD playback) as they do online
video.
Americans in the age group 25-64 years spend the most time watching timeshifted content but Americans 65+ and kids 2-11 are catching up, with heightened growth in time spent in recent quarters. Both groups experienced double-digit growth in time spent over last year, while those middle demographics remained relatively the same.
White consumers are the most likely to have a DVR and, compared to all DVR households, timeshift more content than other ethnic groups.
How are Americans Tuning In? Subscription shifts underscore that Americans are putting a new emphasis on broadband. Nearly three-fourths (72 per cent) of US TV homes pay for both a cable-plus TV subscription (cable, satellite or Telco) and broadband Internet. In fact, households with both cable-plus and broadband saw year-over-year growth of nearly seven per cent.
How Does Geography Factor? Just as there are viewing differences across age, gender and ethnicity, there are regional differences as well.
According to the Nielsen Cross-Platform Report:
– The south spends the most time watching TV, with New Orleans taking the top spot.
– Baltimore has the highest video game console penetration.
– Dallas has the highest DVR penetration.
– Consumers in the Pacific (West) Region spend the most time watching video on the Internet while the East South Central region spends the most time on the Internet
– Miamians are most likely to have a mobile phone in their pockets.
– Bostonians have the highest Internet-enabled computer penetration.
Applications
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.
