Applications
Cable operators need incentives to push for digitisation
NEW DELHI: The growth of new technologies will remain stunted until the cable operator is given incentives to digitise. There is, thus, need for more regulation so that the last mile cable operator feels more motivated to adapt to new technologies, says NDS India sales director Alan Dishington.
The tax regime for direct-to-home needs to be rationalised and IPTV is still too costly, Dishington adds. Despite this, the DTH sector is set for growth in India. The TV on mobile sector, on the other hand, is unlikely to grow as one can‘t not watch the tiny screens for too long.
Digital video recorders (DVR) is a new technology and may take some time to grow, particularly as the set-top boxes are subsidised and so not highly priced. But a study in India by NDS this year shows positive trends for the growth of the DVR market, Dishington points out.
Once consumers have used a DVR, they cannot do without one: the DVR ranks as the second most essential household technology item (77 per cent), beaten only by the mobile phone (94 per cent), according to the survey.
The survey shows DVR owners watch on average a total of 4.2 hours of television a day, made up of 2.9 hours of broadcast TV and 1.3 hours of recorded TV.
A DVR allows pay-TV subscribers to pause live TV, as well as record, play back, rewind and fast-forward their TV programmes for viewing when they choose.
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.
