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Bahrain TV selects Masstech for media asset management
MUMBAI: The Information Affairs Authority’s (IAA) Bahrain Radio & Television division (BTV) has selected Masstech, the provider of streamlined media asset management solutions, to digitise and preserve all its content for optimal workflow efficiency.
The first of a kind project for the Kingdom of Bahrain will involve building a comprehensive digital archive for 55 years of BTV’s broadcast content.
Bahrain TV is currently upgrading all six of its channels to HD and Masstech’s Topaz archive will perform the material handling to Harmonic’s Omneon playout servers under the control of Pebble Beach automation for precise HD file based workflows.
Topaz’s inline high speed transcoding (HQS) technology will enable interoperability for bridging workflows between BTV’s content creation platforms – these include Avid Interplay, Apple FCP and Adobe Premier.
IAA director of technical affairs Shaima Al Hamid said, “We chose Masstech because they have more built-in versatility to provide us with a complete solution for digital archiving, ingest, QC and metadata management. The Topaz system will enhance production giving our staff instant access to archived video footage with the ability to search and view low resolution proxies at their desktop. It is very important for us to preserve and protect our media assets as we invest in more channels and generate more content.”
Masstech’s Topaz+XT, the all-in-one HSM, CSM, HQS and media asset management (MAM) system, facilitates metadata entries in Arabic and English to improve programme planning, coordination, reduce costs, and enable more streamlined operations.
At BTV’s facility in Manama, the installation will comprise IBM servers, a DCS3700 150TB nearline cache, a Spectra multi-frame T950 LTO-5 library, Pulsar-2 QC, 15 XT-Ingest appliances and Masstech’s patented DRAC redundancy – all integrated and managed by Topaz.
Masstech VP sales and marketing Brad Redwood added, “We are thrilled to be part of Bahrain TV’s transformation – accelerating the migration from videotape to digital archiving. In our 10th anniversary as a MAM leader, we are excited to welcome BTV to Masstech’s global family of installations. For over a decade, we have been delivering MAM solutions to leading broadcasters who value our highly skilled support services and capitalize on the full benefits of streamlined asset management. Topaz’s scalable open platform with interfaces to new media and business systems will support the Kingdom’s ambitious expansion plans for years to come.”
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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.
