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NDS appoints Anoop Varma as director sales, India
MUMBAI: Digital pay-TV technology solutions provider NDS has appointed Anoop Varma as director of sales for India. Based in Gurgaon, Varma will report to NDS general manager India Alan Dishington.
In his new capacity, Varma will be responsible for identifying and developing new business opportunities for NDS‘ end-to-end pay-TV solutions in cable, satellite (DTH), IPTV and mobile TV markets.
Said NDS SVP and GM Asia Pacific Sue Taylor, “NDS recognises the potential for the rapid growth of digital pay-TV technology in India. With his many years of experience in the industry, Anoop is ideally suited to develop new business opportunities and contribute to the growth of the Indian pay-TV market. This appointment reaffirms our commitment to India, as we continue our expansion in this high-growth market by tapping into local expertise.”
Prior to this appointment, Varma spent two years working for Viaccess where he spearheaded their business development activities and marketing to pay-TV operators in South East Asia and the Middle East.
Commented Anoop Varma, “This is a great opportunity to work with NDS in one of the world‘s most dynamic pay-TV markets. I am looking forward to leading the NDS team that will help pay-TV operators offer new digital and interactive services to audiences in India.”
Prior to joining Viacess, Varma worked in the broadcast media industry in various roles across the APac region. He worked for Star News as VP – content distribution & corporate affairs; Aaj Tak News as senior manager for five years; and four years as sales manager with Star TV distribution & marketing.
India‘s established DTH and cable pay-TV market leaders – Bharti Airtel, Tata Sky, DEN (Digital Entertainment Network), Hathway Cable & Datacom, and GTPL use NDS systems to protect and enable their pay-TV services. From a base of over 21 million digital TV homes at the end of 2009, MPA has predicted over 62 million digital TV homes by 2015.
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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.
