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VTC selects AsiaSat 5 for DTH service in Vietnam
MUMBAI: Vietnam‘s national broadcaster and digital broadcasting operator Vietnam Multimedia Corporation (VTC) has signed a lease agreement with Asian satellite operator Asia Satellite Telecommunications (AsiaSat) for capacity on AsiaSat 5 satellite.
VTC will use multiple Ku-band transponders on AsiaSat 5 for its new premium direct-to-home (DTH) service in Vietnam.
VTC will use the transponder capacity in early 2010 to provide the new DTH service, distributing up to 30 High Definition (HD) and 70 Standard Definition (SD) channels to households in Vietnam.
The new package will offer a wide variety of premium content ranging from sports, entertainment to technology and lifestyle, addressing the interests of the Vietnamese public, the company said in a release.
VTC general director Thai Minh Tan said, “AsiaSat 5 provides powerful coverage to enhance our DTH service to our home market and the transponder capacity to expand our line-up of HD and SD premium television channels to viewers across the country. AsiaSat can support our aggressive plan to further diversify our range of digital TV services to enhance the viewing experience of the Vietnamese consumers.”
Added AsiaSat CEO Peter Jackson said, “We are pleased to have VTC as our long-term partner for DTH services to Vietnam. AsiaSat 5 is our latest high performance satellite launched this year and it will play a significant role in the DTH development of the country. We look forward to expanding our services in Vietnam, a fast growing economy of over 80 million people, with reliable and high quality satellite television when VTC launches its services on AsiaSat 5.”
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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.
