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Asia Pacific revenues from broadbdand, pay-TV services to rise 34%
MUMBAI: Asia-Pacific telcos are forecast to see service revenues from DSL, fibre broadband and IPTV rise from $52.5 billion in 2010 to $79.5 billion in 2016.
Significant revenue growth will come from fibre broadband and IPTV services, offset slightly by some declines in broadband DSL.
The report by ABI research notes that India is discussing a broadband plan built around a national fibre optic network that has the potential to improve broadband penetration and other services – if the country can get past political and regulatory hurdles.
Cable companies in the region will see revenues decline slightly, from $51 billion to $49.5 billion, with increases in cable broadband offsetting some loss of pay-TV revenue to telco-provided IPTV and satellite. In sum, telcos will see revenue growth of 51 per cent and cable companies a fall in revenues by 3 per cent.
ABI research practice director Jason Blackwell said, “Managers at international companies are all aware of the fabulous opportunities in Asia where population growth and economic growth meet, and the potential for technology adoption seems endless. At the same time, country-to-country variations and different business norms make understanding the opportunities, and engaging to win, very difficult”.
ABI Research senior analyst Sam Rosen said “Both China and India have significant regulation unfolding which will shift the balance of power between telcos and cable companies. China’s Triple-Play Net Convergence initiative has already started to force the consolidation of provincial level cable operators to serve populations of approximately 20 million – up from small regional operators serving hundreds of thousands to a few million,” says. “India is discussing a broadband plan built around a national fiber optic network that has the potential to improve broadband penetration and other services – if the country can get past political and regulatory hurdles.”
ABI Research’s ‘Pay TV and Broadband Markets in China, India, Japan and Asia-Pacific’ study provides a country-by-country snapshot of telecommunications technologies (with the most attention paid to television subscriptions and fixed wired broadband subscriptions in China, India and Japan) along with discussions of the specific market dynamics and unique ways of doing business in these countries and other important countries in the region.
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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.
