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Star India, Bharti Airtel, NDTV join Casbaa
NEW DELHI: The Cable and Satellite Broadcasters Association of Asia (Casbaa) announced expansion of its Indian agenda with the addition of three more players as members of the association.
The new members are Bharti Airtel, NDTV and Star India.
In line with this market growth as a regional body with a domestic agenda, Casbaa continues to increase its commitment to India through undertaking conferences, issuing reports and regularly engaging with policy-making government bodies on key industry issues.
“As a leading DTH player, we are committed to collaborating with world leaders in bringing innovative technologies,” said Bharti Airtel director and CEO Ajai Puri. “We are confident that Casbaa, leading the evolution of ecosystems and technologies that enable cable, satellite and broadcast industry, will impact positively on some critical structural changes to help digitise India rapidly.”
According to Casbaa, India is the most dynamic pay-TV market in the world with almost 10 per cent growth every year over the past five years. In the next 12 months, it is expected to overtake China as the biggest pay-TV market in Asia.
“Certainly, the additional memberships bring extraordinary new value to Casbaa‘s contribution to the Indian pay-TV market,” said Casbaa chairman Marcel Fenez. “With our extended footprint, the association looks forward to joining hands with all its Indian members and partners.”
Other Indian Casbaa members include BAG Network, Conax, IMCL, Tata Sky, Zee TV, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Amarchand Mangaldas.
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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.
