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Proclivity to downgrade pay TV services increasing among Netflix streamers: TDG
MUMBAI: The inclination to downgrade pay TV services has doubled in the last 12 months, according to The Diffusion Group’s (TDG’s) latest analysis of Netflix Streamers—those that stream Netflix content to their net-connected devices.
In general, the percentage of Netflix streamers to varying degrees likely to downgrade their Pay TV service increased from 16 per cent in 2010 to 32 per cent in 2011.
Though Netflix has gone to great lengths to reassure Pay TV operators that its offerings are additive to regular TV viewing and thus not a competitive threat, research now suggests that the ‘Netflix Effect’—that is, growing use of Netflix will lead to pay TV service downgrades and even cancellation—is gaining momentum.
TDG founding partner and director of research Michael Greeson said, “Despite its rhetorical positioning, both Netflix and pay TV operators have long been aware that there will come a point at which its services are not only dilutive to regular TV viewing, but antithetical to PayTV subscription levels. The question for realistic observers has been not if this will occur but when. According to our latest research, that time is upon us.”
While research continues to suggest that such tendencies are due primarily to economic belt tightening, TDG discovered that the primary rationale varies by frequency of Netflix streaming. For example, close to half of all Netflix streamers likely to downgrade their Pay TV service in the next six months cite “cost of service” and “the need to save money” as the primary reason for this disposition.
Conversely, 34 per cent cite their growing use of online video as the culprit, two-thirds of which cite Netflix in particular as the primary perpetrator.
Among moderate and heavy Netflix streamers likely to downgrade, however, 61 per cent cite growing use of online video as the primary reason for likely downgrade (two-thirds of which cite Netflix use in particular). Only 24 per cent of moderate and heavy Netflix streamers cite economic concerns as their primary motivation for downgrade.
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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.
