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Online TV viewing may not be driven by faster broadband: Survey
MUMBAI: The prospect of faster broadband connections will not be the catalyst for increase in TV viewing online, says a survey to be published by Deloitte/YouGov on behalf of the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival. The three-day festival is beginning tomorrow in the UK. |
Of the 2,123 viewers polled, 53 per cent said they would not watch more online video clips or TV programmes even with a faster and more reliable internet connection and 29 per cent felt there was little importance in being able to watch television using an online service. As many as 54 per cent of viewers surf the internet while watching television with 74 per cent of 18–24-year-olds multi-tasking compared with 40 per cent of 55+. Some 81 per cent of viewers use personal emails while watching TV. Younger audiences are more likely to watch TV online but a surprisingly high percentage (43 per cent) of 18-24-year-olds said that they would not watch more TV online with faster broadband speeds. Most viewers found online content too difficult to access or did not know how to. A large proportion (71 per cent) of those who sometimes watch television via the internet do so to catch up on programmes they have previously missed on television. When asked to list all of the genres of video clips viewers watched online, respondents voted news and comedy as most popular, each watched by 34 per cent, followed by music (30 per cent), documentaries/factual (23 per cent) and sports (23 per cent). The least popular clips are reality TV shows and factual entertainment, each watched by only seven per cent of the sample. Online video is now more synonymous with traditional broadcasters than with online pure-plays. Viewers‘ awareness (83 per cent) of broadcasters‘ on-demand sites (such as iPlayer, itv.com, 4OD) is now greater than that for either YouTube (76 per cent) or iTunes (64 per cent). |
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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.
