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India will lead Asia in digital pay-TV, broadband seen slow: report
MUMBAI: Digital pay-TV adoption will grow exponentially in India, but broadband consumption will remain modest. As a result, India will lead the Asia-Pacific region in pay-TV industry revenue generation by 2015 but lag most of its neighbors in broadband value creation. These are the findings of a research report released today by Hong Kong based Media Partners Asia (MPA) entitled “Asia Pacific Pay-TV and Broadband Markets 2007”. |
Some of the highlights of the report are that India will lead Asia in pay-TV industry revenue generation by 2015 but lag most of its neighbours in broadband value creation. The total revenue opportunity is estimated at $16 billion by 2015 MPA sees pay-TV penetration growing from 61 per cent of TV homes in 2006 to reach almost 90 per cent by 2015. Of this, more than 37 per cent of pay-TV users will be connected to a digital network by then, the larger numbers coming from DTH. The report estimates that there will be 23 million digital pay-TV cable subs by 2015 as against 38 million for DTH. What the report clearly indicates is that pay-TV cable will always be playing catch-up to DTH, a situation that is already being witnessed today. Comparing the sub base of the major DTH players with that of the big cable MSOs, these are the numbers thrown up: Zee’s DTH service provider Dish TV has crossed the 2 million mark as far as its subscriber numbers go. Also gathering speed is Tata Sky with 800,000 subs. Zee’s cable arm WWIL on the other hand, currently stands at 250,000, still some way behind Rajan Raheja’s Hathway Cable & Datacom, which is at 310,000. |
Meanwhile, as regards advertising, the report estimates C&S TV revenues to grow at a CAGR of 12.4 per cent to reach $ 3.5 billion by 2015. As for broadband HH penetration, it is expected to scale up to 11 per cent by 2015, implying 26 million users. Commenting on the report’s key India-related findings, MPA executive director Vivek Couto said: “Digitization, consolidation and the gradual relaxation of regulations will help develop the market for pay-TV. With greater investment, last mile consolidation and digital upgrade, the cable industry in general and MSOs in particular should become increasingly corporatized and profitable. DTH will enter a phase of mass adoption between 2008 – 2012 with six operators likely to compete in the market. We expect consolidation in the long-term. The market for cable & satellite broadcasters will undergo commoditization in the near-term and profitable consolidation in the long-term. Increased pay-TV penetration, digitization and long-term economic growth will drive the market.” |
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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.
