Applications
DVR usage, online viewing rising in US
MUMBAI: The latest Nielsen‘s Three Screen report has revealed that DVR usage has also gone up by 21.1 per cent since Q3 2008. It also said that 99 per cent of video content in the US is viewed on traditional TV, while online video usage has surged by 34.9 per cent.
Said Nielsen director of cross-platform insights Nic Covey, “Americans today have an insatiable appetite for not only content, but also choice. Across all age groups, we see consumers adding the Internet and mobile devices to their media diet-consuming media anytime and anywhere possible.”
In the third quarter of this year, the average American spent 31 hours watching television each week with 31 minutes spent on DVR viewing. An additional 4 hours per week is spent on the internet and 22 minutes is spent watching online video.
Mobile video usage stood at 3 minutes per week. The 65-plus viewers spend most of their time on traditional TV, with more than 43 hours.
The mobile video usage time is highest among teens 12 to 17: 13 minutes, well ahead of the 5 minutes spent with mobile video by the 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 groups.
The highest DVR usage, meanwhile, comes from the 25 to 34 demo (56 minutes), followed by the 35 to 44 group (52 minutes). The 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 age groups both spend an average of 35 minutes per week with online video, with the 35 to 44 set spending 33 minutes and the 45 to 54 set spending 30 minutes.
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.
