Applications
In Cas areas, digital cable leads over DTH
MUMBAI: Cable TV has stood firm ground against competition from the direct-to-home (DTH) operators in the Cas (conditional access system) pockets of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. Digital cable has penetrated the highest in the Cas zone of Mumbai with 44 per cent of the C&S homes opting for set-top boxes (STBs) till 15 June, according to Tam estimates. Out of the total 572,000 homes, cable has pocketed 249,985 households who have gone in for STBs. DTH, in contrast, has seen just 3 per cent penetration with 16,852 homes flocking to it. Despite aggressive marketing, DTH players have seen a 1 per cent rise in penetration over a five-month period. DTH has performed better in the South Delhi Cas market, having a 6 per cent penetration with 43,332 out of 723,000 total homes migrating to the platform. Digital cable, however, has a 29.4 per cent penetration with 212,384 households buying STBs. Under the Cas zone in Kolkata, there has been a low offtake for digital services with cable seeing a 18.1 per cent penetration (94,162 homes) comparable with 1.8 per cent (9,167 homes) DTH households. The Tam study shows that the upper segment of the socio-economic strata are the leading consumers of digital cable. In the Cas market of Mumbai, the highest purchase for STBs is from SEC A and B (31 per cent each). This is followed by SEC C (20 per cent of the total STB population in Mumbai), SEC D (11 per cent) and SEC E (8 per cent). Kolkata is seeing a similar trend with SEC A and B accounting for 74 per cent of the STB population while the remaining 26 per cent is distributed among the other socio-economic strata. PROFILE OF TV Universe STB STB Source : TAM 2007 study on CAS penetration in 3 cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta.
Delhi has a higher SEC A STB ownership skew with 57 per cent of STB ownership in the city coming from this segment, followed by SEC B (24 per cent). The other strata account for just 19 per cent, according to Tam estimates.
HOME OWNING STB IN WAVE II
Ownership
Ownership
BASE (Homes)
572000
%
249985
%
723000
%
212384
%
519000
%
94162
%
SEC A
118404
21
76619
31
278355
39
121024
57
88749
17
40119
43
SEC B
143000
25
76674
31
166290
23
49965
24
114699
22
29617
31
SEC C
131560
23
49300
20
105558
15
22194
10
101205
20
14883
16
SEC D
111540
20
26731
11
89652
12
9482
4
107433
21
5654
6
SEC E
67496
12
20660
8
83145
12
9718
5
106914
21
3888
4
Wave 1 – January 15th 2007.
Wave 2 – June 15th 2007.
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.
