Applications
Video access moving to streaming and subscription services: Study
MUMBAI: Consumer attitude towards video access is moving away from ownership and rental models to streaming and subscription services, as connected CE and smart TVs proliferate in the U.S. and Western Europe.
In a six-month period, U.S. online video subscribers spent almost $50 on average for video subscriptions while a la carte video typically garnered less than half that amount, according to according to Parks Associates.
From 2009 to 2010, the number of purchased movie and TV-show downloads dropped by 56 per cent and movie-rental downloads fell by 70 per cent.
The largest countries in Western Europe have penetration rates for connected CE in broadband households comparable to the U.S. Thirteen percent of broadband households in France, Italy, and Spain have an active smart TV, compared to 14 per cent in the U.S. Germany has the lowest rates of device penetration but the largest volume of monthly viewers of online video and the greatest average number of videos viewed per user per month.
Parks Associates CEO Tricia Parks said, “The sands are shifting for manufacturers and content providers as expanding numbers of households access their TV-displayed content online. Methods include smart TVs and a host of connected devices, several of which are in a high-growth trajectory. This shift will create havoc with today’s well-understood TV revenue model potential. All players want a piece of that revenue, but not all players will hold their current positions over time.”
Netflix, a pioneer in the subscription video model, reached nearly 25 million subscribers by mid-2011, before its recent price increase. This deeply unpopular move, in which the company increased the price of its streaming and DVD-by-mail services, creates an opening for service providers to compete for these subscribers on price and a wider selection of newer titles.
Parks said, “Licensing is one of the biggest challenges for providers in this space. A successful subscription model has lots of content options, but providers in different nations must ink licensing agreements suitable to their environments and regulatory structures. They must leverage their strengths as established providers, serving millions of households, to secure rights to premium content and combat encroaching over-the-top solutions.”
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.
