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Recession ups box-office collections in US, DVD takes a hit
MUMBAI: The recession has brought back American audiences to the theatres. DVD sales has taken a dive while box-office collections have soared, according to Adams Media Research.
Disc sales, including DVDs and Blu-ray, dropped 13 per cent year-over-year to just $8.73 billion in 2009, down from $10.06 billion a year ago.
Box-office spending, however, rose 10 per cent to $9.87 billion in 2009 in the US.
Company president Tom Adams, however, clarified that the 2009 figures are preliminary as late December figures are being worked on.
According to the report, disc rentals remained almost flat while video on demand rentals increased minimaly as did online purchases. Sales of DVDs have been undercut by the rise of low-cost rental.
Hollywood has traditionally relied on DVD sales to underwrite the cost of production and marketing films, but the market has diversified in recent years.
The demand for on-demand television and online distribution has been steadily increasing. Companies such as kiosk chain Redbox, which rents DVDs for $1 a day, are proving to be popular with the public, where DVDs can be picked up and returned in fast-food restaurants, pharmacies and shops.
Online subscription services such as Netflix Inc have also been a success in the past decade as they offer a “watch instantly” service where some subscribers can watch films on a PC or TV at home.
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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.
