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Modern Technologies and content centre stage at Casbaa forum
NEW DELHI: The big-picture issues facing the satellite sector in India in 2010 and beyond will be the key focus at the annual India Satellite Industry Forum on “India on the Digital Edge – where Broadband HITS the Streets”.
The meet taking place here on 22 March will take up issues like the key trends most likely to sustain businesses in tough times and untapped opportunities in the future.
Organised by the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa), this year’s Forum will share market insights on items such as HITS — Head-end In The Sky — broadband deployments and the expansion of digital TV offerings from the leadership of the global satellite industry, channel heads, pay-TV operators and technology providers.
The sessions in the single-day meet will have a keynote address by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairperson JS Sharma and Information and Broadcasting Ministry Special Secretary Uday Varma is also expected the address the closing session. There will be sessions on ‘Uniquely India: News Directions and Dangers for Satcoms’, India as an international leader, the DTH Growth Curve, Content Creation in the times of regulatory frameworks, new technologies, and HDTV.
The speakers also include Andrea Appella who is Director of Legal, Competition and Regulatory Affairs in News Corp (Europe & Asia); Greg Moyer, President of Scripps Networks International; Doordarshan Engineer-in-Chief RR Prasad; Deepak Mathur, VP – Sales (South Asia and the Middle East ) in SES WORLD SKIES; Rahul Johri, SVP & GM, India for Discovery Networks Asia Pacific; Deepak Jacob, SVP, Legal & Regulatory for Star India, Zee Turner CEO Dinesh Jain; Reliance Big TV President Sanjay Behl;, Hughes Network Systems India President Pranav Roach; Eutelsat Regional Director for UK and South Asia Nicholas Daly; AsiaSat General Manager (Marketing) Sabrina Cubbon, and MEASAT Vice President (Commercial Operations) Terry Bleakley.
The decision-making line-up will also feature technology specialists Oracle, NDS, Intelsat, Conax and LG Electronics.
“This year‘s Casbaa India Forum covers the most wide-ranging and authoritative programme ever presented by our India team,” said David Ball, Chairman, Casbaa Satellite Industry Committee and Regional VP, Asia Pacific, Intelsat. “The dynamism of the Indian pay-TV and communications markets continues to grab global attention.”
The Casbaa India Satellite Industry Forum is sponsored by ABS, AsiaSat, Eutelsat, Hughes Network Systems, Intelsat, MEASAT, NDS, Oracle, Scripps Networks, SES WORLD SKIES and Star India.
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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.
