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US consumers reducing pay TV services for Internet options
MUMBAI: The first cord-cutters were those who did away with their traditional phone cords in favour of mobile phone services. And Now Yankee Group uncovers a new category: the coax-cutter.
These consumers in the US cut off their pay TV services and use their PCs, gaming consoles and other connected devices to access video programming instead. One in every eight consumers are set to join their ranks in the next 12 months.
In the new report, Consumers Consider Axing the Coax, Yankee Group reveals that the number of coax-cutters will grow due to three main factors: a new wave of connected TVs, ever-escalating pay TV prices and the advent of connected consumer devices that can act like set-top boxes, including Sony Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360 gaming consoles.
Yankee group principal analyst and co-author of the report Vince Vittore says, “At the most basic level, the decision to cut off pay TV services is an economic one. As programmers continue to demand ever higher fees, which inevitably get passed on to consumers, we believe more consumers will be forced to consider coax-cutting.”
The other findings include:
Pay TV market is flat-lining. Subscribers in Western Europe will increase just 3.9 per cent from 2010 to 2013; US subscribers are on a similar path, growing 6.9 per cent in the same time frame.
Age and connected device usage play a role. Consumers who do cut off pay TV services will most likely be in the 18-34 age bracket and heavy mobile users or gamers.
Consumers will turn to other devices to skirt pay TV services. 56 per cent of households have at least one HDTV and 43 per cent have at least one gaming console.
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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.
