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HD Playboy Asia Channel launches in APAC via AsiaSat 5
MUMBAI: Playboy Plus Entertainment, managed by Manwin Media, has launched encrypted HD Playboy Asia Channel on AsiaSat 5 in the Asia Pacific.
Manwin is the leading international provider of high-quality adult entertainment, delivered through online, mobile and television media platforms.
From AsiaSat Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong, the HD Playboy Asia Channel is uplinked to AsiaSat 5 (100.5 degrees East), through a C-band DVB-S2 MCPC platform for delivery to over 50 countries across Asia, the Middle East, Australasia and CIS.
AsiaSat also provides encryption service to the channel from its teleport.
AsiaSat President and CEO William Wade said, "We are pleased that Playboy Plus chose AsiaSat 5 for the launch of its first HD Playboy channel in the Asia Pacific. We are proud to meet the increased demand of international broadcasters who expect comprehensive and cost efficient transmission solutions while at the same time appreciate the benefit of AsiaSat 5‘s excellent access to Asian pay TV platforms."
The HD linear channel offers Playboy branded series including Playmates!, The Truth about Sex and The Man, as well as upscale movies from studios including world-renown Digital Playground.
Playboy Plus Entertainment GM-Asia Pacific Lanny Huang said, "We are proud to launch HD Playboy Asia, the first channel targeting the adult audience in Asia. The 24/7 linear HD channel will include a unique blend of content including Playboy originals and the addition of our highly-acclaimed Digital Playground movies, offering extreme cinematic experience to our viewers."
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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.
