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SPE Networks – Asia expands distribution in Indonesia with Aora
MUMBAI: SPE Networks – Asia (Spena) has strengthened its presence in Indonesia as it brings its quartet of pay-TV channels, including the two newer networks AXN Beyond and Sony Entertainment Television (SET), to a second pay-TV service, Aora.
Animax and Sony Entertainment Television will be made available to subscribers in Aora‘s second launch phase, targeted towards the later part of the year. AXN and AXN Beyond are already launched on 15 August. SPE Networks – Asia is home to AXN, Animax, and women‘s general entertainment channel SET.
Spena senior VP, GM Ricky Ow says, “The effort to expand our reach in Indonesia is picking up speed. It is even more gratifying that all four of our channels have been picked up by key pay-TV platforms in this rapidly developing market. We are pleased to be in partnership with Aora as their subscription growth has been very impressive, and we expect our channels to help drive the growth momentum further.”
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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.
