Applications
NDS marries digital TV and OTT
MUMBAI: The provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, NDS, has launched NDS Service Delivery Platform that enables TV operators to extend their offering to companion devices through third-party applications.
The NDS Service Delivery Platform (SDP) provides an open API that acts as an interface between apps on devices, a service provider’s TV platform and social networks or other internet content. Providing a standard web services interface, the SDP enables the development of a limitless number of applications to complement or control the TV viewing experience.
Said Ovum Media and Broadcast principle analyst Adrian Drury,”Simultaneous TV and internet device usage is a growing
phenomenon and presents opportunity for pay-TV operators, studios and app developers to create companion content and services. The potential lies in enhancement of the audience experience, the chance to reach the customer outside of the television viewing period, and in providing new avenues for advertiser engagement. The NDS Service Delivery Platform takes an interesting approach to solving both issues. Ovum looks forward to seeing audience response to the first applications that exploit the web services exposed by SDP.”
NDS SDP is compatible with existing TV platforms and STBs. Utilising device SDKs and app stores; it negates the need for per-device and per-service integration, enabling the operator to present their brand, new services and content on a rapidly expanding number of connected devices.
Added VP and chief marketing officer Nigel Smith, “The NDS SDP enables operators to harness the creativity of the thriving app developer community. The key to the platform is the two-way communications model, enabling not only content on devices, but that crucial link between the device and the operator platform – including the set-top box, so that it becomes a companion to the viewing experience. The SDP fosters a symbiotic relationship that allows operators to drive service adoption through the apps, whilst enabling developers to generate revenue and providing subscribers with an enriched experience.”
Enabling a multi-device ecosystem, the SDP places the TV operator at the core of the multi-screen entertainment experience, utilising the untapped creative potential of the app developer community and facilitated by a fully featured developer portal.
To provide a multi-faceted companion device experience, the SDP facilitates the contextual delivery of additional content, information and social networking features from online sources.
The platform uses intelligent mechanisms to ensure that content and metadata are retrieved from the most appropriate source, whether the operator platform or web-services such as movie databases or catch-up TV sites.
Devices and individual subscriptions are recognised by the SDP, allowing the delivery of appropriately formatted content, to device specification and in keeping with the user’s pay-TV subscription.
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.
