Applications
India one of most poorly regulated TV markets: Casbaa
MUMBAI: India and China are the most poorly regulated markets for pay TV, says a report from the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA).
The Indian market suffers from over-regulation, where bureaucratic fiat substitutes for market forces in setting rates or determining programme packages.
According to the study, ‘Regulating for Growth 2011 — a regulatory regime index for Asia Pacific multichannel television’, India is second lowest (ahead only of China), scoring 43 per cent in the effective regulatory regime index, as compared to 95 per cent attained in developed markets such as New Zealand and the United States.
Hong Kong in Asia was named as the most favourable one, followed by Japan, Australia and Malaysia.
Casbaa chairman Marcel Fenez said, “Our research shows that markets where the regulatory environment is friendly have higher levels of economic activity. This benefits ancillary industries, local content creators, tax collections and enables consumers to access newer forms of technology.”
The Indian pay-TV market needs a lot of improvement as it is handicapped by limits on foreign direct investment, cable operator licenses, fragmentation, distribution price controls, and taxes.
“Regulation of the Indian pay-TV industry has become the most restrictive in the region, if not the world. Almost every aspect of the industry is controlled, from channel availability, retail and wholesale rates, packaging, advertising, investment and even the commercial and technical arrangements between different levels of the supply chain.
“There does not appear to be any prospect of improvement in the near future, though the possibility of widespread digitisation does hold some promise,” added the Casbaa report.
According to a report by Media Partners Asia, the Indian pay-TV market adds a miniscule 1.2 per cent to the country‘s national economic output, despite having a subscriber base of over 100 million set by Digital TV Research.
Worsening this, the profit margins in the broadcasting sector fell to 13 per cent in 2010 compared to 23 per cent in 2003 – another offshoot of India’s damaging policy measures.
The Casbaa report examined the effectiveness of government policies in regulating the delivery of video content over multiple networks to paying customers in 17 large pay-TV markets around the world.
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.
