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Casbaa convention to debate on pay-TV potential
MUMBAI: The Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) has announced details of the Casbaa Convention 2010 to be staged in Hong Kong from 25– 28 October.
Themed Unlock Your Networks, the four-day Casbaa Convention 2010 will gather operators, content providers, satellite services, technology, carriers and ad agencies together to further unlock the vast pay-TV potential across Asia.
Casbaa expects a thousand delegates to attend the convention. Several companies have committed their support to the event including Comcast, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, Disney Media Distribution, Globecast, HBO, MTV, Playboy TV, RRsat, Synovate, Tiger Gate, Turner, Universal Networks International and Warner TV, along with over 30 media partners and trade organisations.
This year’s Convention presents a programme highlighting the critical issues shaping the Asian pay-TV industry. With digital media now centre stage, industry thought leaders from across the globe will discuss strategies for capitalising on the latest market opportunities for subscription television and advertising revenues in Asia.
Asia’s buoyant business environment has fostered increasing investment by countries keen to position themselves as the leading Asian media hub. Invited participants in a high-level discussion on the Media Hub championship include senior officials from India, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
With content consumption via traditional broadcast, mobile device, internet and 3D platforms blurring the lines between TV, video and a new viewer experience, the Convention 2010 programme presents a 360-degree review of the business synergies between carriers, advertising agencies, broadcasters and technology providers delivering current and next generation solutions in Asia.
Meanwhile, more than a billion Asian pay-TV viewers demand 24×7, global and local news content. In this compelling session, leading news providers will debate innovative strategies for further growing this big slice of the media pie.
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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.
