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Players Network, Ascent Solutions team up for broadband solutions
MUMBAI; Players Network, a new media and entertainment company, has entered into an agreement with Las Vegas based software engineering firm Ascent Solutions to develop the company‘s next generation proprietary broadband-based content distribution and social media platform.
The advanced enterprise web platform is designed for large scale global distribution and monetisation of the company‘s licensed and original content on its multiple Branded Lifestyle Video Channels for viewing by simultaneous users on all digital devices.
The platform is based on a business model that incorporates forecasted online consumer trends and usability. This new generation software design allows for content to be monetised through a variety of methods including subscription, merchandising, micro-transactions, services and targeted advertising. As a part of this development agreement, the company‘s software will also be managed by Ascent Solutions and hosted at Switch Communication, a data center located in Las Vegas.
PNTV CEO Mark Bradley said, “Ascent Solutions has a team of top tier programmers and software engineers who can deliver the cutting edge innovations we‘ve designed to deliver and monetize media in manner desirable to today‘s consumers, and to the businesses and brands who want to connect with them. This innovative upgrade of our proprietary platform software will establish the worldwide standard for how large and small media companies can begin to monetize content over broadband and any interconnected, digital device. Working with Ben Gayheart and his team gives PNTV the competitive edge we need to make 2013 a breakthrough year in terms of our revenue and profitability.”
Ascent Solutions CEO Ben Gayheart said, I‘m very impressed with Player Network‘s timely approach to content monetization and am betting on their success. This is truly a visionary company that has not only challenged us with a great project, but is at the forefront of creating and distributing Media in a way consumers have wanted for a long time.”
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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.
