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India’s Pay TV market to create a demand of 140 million smart cards during 2013-2018
MUMBAI: MARC Group in its latest report entitled “Smart Card Industry in India: SIM, Identity, Banking, Transport, Healthcare, Pay TV, Loyalty & PDS” expects India‘s Pay TV market to create a demand of 140 million smart cards during 2013-2018. Findings from the report suggest that with 155 million subscriber households in 2012, India is the third largest TV market after the US and China. TV signals in India are currently distributed in analogue as well as in digital and terrestrial formats. Most cable operators in the country are providing analogue TV service while all DTH operators are providing a digital TV service.
The report found that the government of India amended the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act in October 2011 to announce implementation of a phase-wise digitisation programme of pay TV services throughout the country. Findings from the report suggest that this would result in all cable TV households to receive digital TV signals through a set top box (STB). As part of digitisation, every cable operator will be legally bound to transmit digital signals, which can be received at the subscriber‘s home only through a STB. Since smart cards are required in each STB, the growth in STB sales is expected to create a huge opportunity for smart cards in India.
This study, an updated and far more extensive and analytical version of the 2011 study, provides and draws upon a comprehensive analysis of every major smart card segment in India. Key metrics and events such as smart card requirements, current and future volume and value demand, key smart card projects, project implementation timelines, success and risk factors, costs, etc have been comprehensively analysed in this report. This study aims to serve as a guide for investors, researchers, consultants, marketing strategists, and all those who are planning to foray into the Indian smart cards market in some form or the other.
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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.
