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NDS’ STB software powers BSkyB’s Sky+HD and VOD service
MUMBAI: NDS, which provides technology solutions for digital pay-TV, has announced that BSkyB has deployed a customised implementation of NDS‘ advanced set-top box software for its Sky+HD boxes.
As well as enabling the launch of Sky‘s Anytime+ VOD service, the component based architecture of the set-top box software enables Sky to evolve the complete end-user experience to meet changing customer needs faster than ever.
Sky MD of product design and development Alun Webber said: “With over 10 million subscribers in the UK and Ireland we are constantly working to ensure that our platform offers the best possible customer experience. Our collaboration with NDS to develop this set-top box software puts us in a great position to continually innovate, giving customers even more choice and control over how and when they consume the content that they love”.
Sky Anytime+ complements the existing Sky Anytime push VOD service with a comprehensive catalogue of on-demand content available to Sky Broadband customers. Using NDS set-top box software and end-to-end progressive download technology to power its on demand service, Sky is able to deliver VOD content over Sky‘s own broadband network direct to the customer‘s set-top box. Once enough content is delivered to the DVR, playback can commence – allowing for the remainder of the content to be delivered in the background, thus ensuring a consistent and reliable customer experience.
NDS Senior Vice President Major Accounts David Nabozny said: “The Sky platform provides one of the most innovative pay-TV experiences in the world. Sky‘s deployment of NDS advanced set-top box software and progressive download technology is a perfect example of how a service provider can optimise its existing infrastructure to introduce value added services to enrich the subscriber offering.”
Sky currently employs a number of technologies from NDS including VideoGuard Conditional Access (CA) and NDS XTV, the DVR technology underpinning Sky+, which allows customers to pause and record live TV.
The new Sky Anytime+ service is available to Sky customers with a Sky+HD set-top box and Sky Broadband Everyday Lite or Sky Broadband Unlimited. Sky has been the UK‘s fastest growing Internet Service Provider (ISP) over the last four years.
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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.
