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Casbaa’s forum to take stock of the satellite market
NEW DELHI: With the continuing rise in the demand for satellite services across Asia and new alliances being formed with a strong pipeline of new capacity launches, the Cable and Satellite Association of Asia (Casbaa) is meeting in Singapore this month to take a comprehensive look at the state of the market in the region.
The Casbaa Satellite Industry Forum on 20 June will explore the effects of new technologies, hosted payloads, higher frequency utilisation and innovative satellite antennas for the long range development of the market.
“In a favourable climate, Casbaa’s annual Satellite Industry Forum truly provides the tools you need to take care of business in Asia,” said Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston. “Bringing together market leaders from across Asia and the world, this year’s Forum will examine the important issues affecting the satellite business today and what to expect in the future.”
Apart from assessing where the satellite industry in Asia is headed over the next ten years, the Forum will take a clear-eyed look at the business, and industry experts will also analyse what customers in all senses of the word “really want”. Whether they are consumers, broadcasters or service providers, the Forum aims to discover if there are any options to make everyone happy.
“Casbaa’s Satellite Industry Forum provides the opportunity to hear from an unrivalled line-up of market leaders and experts who will share their knowledge and insights on an industry that is evolving at breakneck speed,” added Davies.
Among the industry heavyweights confirmed to speak at the Satellite Industry Forum are Dave McGlade (CEO, Intelsat), Romain Bausch (President & CEO, SES), Nongluck Phinainitisart (President, Thaicom), Bill Wade (President & CEO, AsiaSat), Paul Brown-Kenyon (COO, MEASAT), Tom Choi (CEO, ABS), Cheng Guangren (President, APT Satellite) and Inoue Osamu (Senior EVP, SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation)
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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.
