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3D TV market will struggle in the UK
MUMBAI: A new report from Informa Telecoms and Media forecasts that fewer than half of the 11 million 3D TV-ready homes in the UK in 2016 will be active and regular users of 3D TV content.
Last year, almost 90 per cent of homes with 3D-ready sets were “active” users.
This much higher proportion results from early-adopters being
significantly more likely to sign up for 3D content services, coupled with operators making content available for free to build some scale.
As 3D becomes a “default” technology embedded into more and more sets as standard, it will reach consumers who are not particularly interested in the technology and so the “active” percentage will fall.
3D TV has the backing of the major UK broadcasters like Sky and Virgin, and most recently the BBC announced its plans to show the Wimbledon final in 3D for the first time.
However, despite this, public reaction has been mixed – due to both a lack of content and a simple failure of the public to engage with what is, essentially, a new type of viewing
experience.
There will, however, be significant growth in the penetration of 3D-ready sets with one in three households in the UK owning a TV set with 3D capabilities by 2016. But this growth is being driven by a change in strategy amongst consumer electronics (CE) companies. At launch, 3D was marketed as the “next big thing” for the mainstream TV viewing experience – the natural successor to HDTV.
So, with mainstream adoption becoming a much harder sell, the emphasis has changed to a future-proofing strategy. By depicting 3D as the cutting edge of technology, CE manufacturers can use it to attract TV set buyers by convincing them that a compelling 3D environment will eventually be in place, so they should equip themselves for it now.
Irrespective of existing public demand for 3D, major set manufacturers (Samsung, LG, Panasonic, et al) increasingly see 3D capability as a feature that they must include in their sets, or the perception will be that rival manufacturers are producing a technically-superior product (with 3D included). The result is that an increasing proportion of TV sets are having 3D capability built into them. But instead of a USP, 3D is now often marketed as just one of the set’s benefits – along with features such as Internet-connection capability
and LED backlighting.
The Informa view remains that the short-term impact will be limited, but 3D TV-capable sets will have long-term mass market penetration, driven by major CE manufacturers embedding the technology in the majority of their sets.
However, it is anticipated that use of the 3D capability will be limited in homes, often restricted to major events where a 3D viewing experience will be sought for its novelty value.
Informa said it does not share the view that 3D represents the obvious next evolutionary step for TV, in the same way that colour followed black and white, or HD is following SD. A case can be made that colour and HD offer noticeable enhancements to the technologies that preceded them.
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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.
