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Tata Sky and Irdeto tie up, OTT service launched on Android devices
MUMBAI: India’s pay TV market is highly competitive, yet there is tremendous growth potential for OTT services as disposable incomes rise. According to Tetra Pax Index 2017, 82 per cent of the Indian population spends its time on mobile phones, and 2017 saw a 23 per cent rise in internet users who spend an average of eight hours a day online compared to 2016.
To take advantage of the growing trend of consumption of video on-the-go, Tata Sky aims to offer its customers a high-quality viewing experience with superior navigation within a reliable and scalable service. Irdeto has been selected by Tata Sky, a leading content distribution platform providing pay-TV and over-the-top (OTT) services, to enhance its end-to-end solution for OTT services. The first phase of the project has been launched with Android devices, and the follow-on phases will extend Tata Sky’s OTT service to PC and iOS devices.
Irdeto’s OTT solutions will simplify the operations and workflow of supporting multiple digital rights management (DRM) systems, configuring consistent business policies across different devices and managing a massive library of media assets. This will enable Tata Sky to not only rapidly re-launch their service, but also have the flexibility to easily adapt their service and business model to meet changing demands.
Irdeto will enable Tata Sky to not only rapidly re-launch their service, but also have the flexibility to easily adapt their service and business model to meet changing demands.
“In India, it is important for us to offer our customers the best user experience on their devices. This means a high-quality, multi-lingual viewing experience of live channels and on-demand content with superior navigation within a reliable and scalable service,” said Tata Sky chief commercial officer Pallavi Puri.
“There is a tremendous growth opportunity for OTT services in India, which brings about fierce competition in the industry. As such, it is crucial for operators like Tata Sky to have the freedom to innovate,” said Irdeto senior vice-president of sales and services Bengt Jonsson. “We can offload the complexity of managing security, fragmented technologies and backend workflow for them, and enable them to focus on delivering value to their customers,” he added.
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.
