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Videocon d2h crosses 2 mn subscribers
MUMBAI: Videocon d2h, the direct-to-home (DTH) company promoted by Videocon Group, has crossed two million subscribers.
The sixth and last entrant in the DTH space, Videocon d2h has tapped the rapidly growing market with its large dealer network and focus on widening the regional language and sports offering. This includes 10 channels in Marathi, 19 channels in Tamil, 18 in Telugu, 14 in Malayalam, 13 in Kannada, 13 in Bengali, six in Oriya and seven in Punjabi.
The DTH market has seen explosive growth and has already touched a 26 million subscriber base. The six operators hope to add 11 million subscribers this fiscal.
Dish TV leads with 8.6 million subscribers, while Tata Sky and Sun TV have piled up a base of six million each.
Videocon d2h said it has quickly climbed above the traditional “price-only” competition of other DTH operators and set-top box (STB) manufacturers in the country.
The company uses Irdeto‘s end-to-end pay-TV solution suite.
Said Videocon Group director Saurabh Dhoot, “Videocon d2h is very excited to have reached this incredible two million subscriber milestone with the help of Irdeto‘s team and technology.”
Added Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera, “As an established player in consumer electronics, we understand the diverse needs of our customers and wanted to implement the best available technology in order to stand out among the competition. This recent success can be attributed to Videocon d2h‘s truly innovative approach to meeting the evolving needs of media consumers, in addition to a strong distribution network and Irdeto‘s customized solution.”
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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.
