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Newspaper Websites attract high-spending Internet users – Scarborough Research
MUMBAI: From travel services to online banking, Newspaper Website readers are active online consumers and significant spenders. A new analysis by Scarborough Research, the authority for newspaper audience ratings and consumer behavior information, has found that newspaper website audiences are more likely than average Internet users to be avid online shoppers, spending more than the average Internet user on online purchases.
The Scarborough analysis examined newspaper website readers of major papers. In all of these markets, newspaper website readers are more likely than other Internet users to be spending upwards of $1,000 online annually.
In fact, newspaper website readers are more likely than average Internet users in their local markets to have made a purchase in leading e-shopping categories measured by Scarborough, including airline tickets and other travel reservations, books and clothing, asserts an official release.
Scarborough Research senior vice president, print and Internet services Gary Meo said, “When you combine this robust online buying activity with the fact that newspaper website audiences are large and growing, it is very clear that newspapers provide audiences that advertisers need to reach, in print and online.”
“Through newspapers and their websites, advertisers in a variety of categories from travel to retail, banking to electronics have ready access to consumers that have cash and want to spend it,” he added.
In the financial category, newspaper website readers examined in the analysis are typically more likely to use Internet banking services than average Internet users in their market, as per the research.
Meo further said, “In any marketing effort, localism is critical. With Scarborough‘s local-market newspaper website audience information, advertisers can better understand the characteristics of the audience and improve the return on investment (ROI) of their campaigns.”
Newspaper website readers are generally among the most avid Internet users in a local market. They are more likely than the average Internet user to spend 20 hours or more online in the average week and more likely to have broadband internet connections at home, adds the release.
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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.
