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Casbaa adds three corporates
MUMBAI:The Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) has announced the addition of three new Corporate Members to its roster of organisations: Broadcasters GBN Global Broadcasting Network of Thailand and GEO-TV of Pakistan, along with technology provider Newtec of Belgium.
Meanwhile, legal services provider Transasia Lawyers of China has joined the Association as a Patron Member and will take a new seat on the Council of Governors, Casbaa’s advisory group.
Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies said, “The growing Casbaa Membership in 2011 reflects the international and sectoral reach of the Association at a time of great change for the multichannel TV and communications industries across Asia and the rest of the world. The Board of Directors is delighted to welcome GBN Global, Geo-TV, Newtec and Transasia Lawyers into our diverse and influential membership.”
GBN Global specialises in media networking for Thailand ‘s fast growing satellite and cable TV industry. Launched in October of 2002, Geo-TV was the first South Asian Urdu language channel to launch across the Asia Pacific.
As a provider of high-end technology to the satellite services sector, Newtec offers scalable, integrated solutions for broadcast, broadband access and backbone and trunking applications, As one of a select group of law firms licensed to operate in the People‘s Republic of China, TransAsia has been advising on investments into and out of China since the early 1980s. With a team of 80, TransAsia has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong (associated) and Tokyo (alliance).
“As a multi-interest Association, these new members bring a unique voice to the Asian multichannel television market,” said Twiston
Davies.
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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.
