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IBC 2009 to take a peep into the future
AMSTERDAM: There‘s a chill that gets into your bones at night. You want to be tucked into your bed with the covers on you and snooze away, not walk outside. The smell of marijuana permeates the very air in the city centre as visitors of all types puff away at the weed on the street. It gets into your coat, into your hair, until all you can smell is the weed. Amsterdam, the marijuana capital of Europe, is also the broadcast technology capital and IBC 2009 is on at the RAI Exhibition Centre. Morning is always a rush with you trying to get into Tram No 4 from close to Dam Square to get to the convention centre. The sudden influx of visitors for IBC means trams wait longer at their stops until all get in. But there‘s no doubt this modern city with a touch of the old world, in the shape of horse drawn carriages (and mind you the horses are grand), cops on horseback, tulips all over, is a delightful place to be in. The buzz at IBC 2009 conferences was about Hybrid Broadcast Broadband, 3D and 1080p technology on day one. And one got a peep at the future. The Indians are in attendance: Wipro Consulting Services president of communication and media TK Kurien, telling conference attendees how complicated the Indian consumer is and how they can market more effectively to her. Hindustan Times editorial advisor Vir Sanghvi is slated to deliver a keynote on whether the broadcasting journalist is a threatened species. Organisers are expecting a good turnout. Reason: IBC 2009 is happening at a time when the economy is beginning to show an uptick. NAB happened when things were looking bleak so visitors stayed away. Though Sony is a prominent absentee, show organisers have created a “production village” consisting of a mock TV set with cameras from several major vendors, including JVC’s new 4K camera, and free training in HD production. The $5 billion turnover Harris announced a slew of initiatives for IBC, apart from taking up the biggest floorspace. Among these: Harris Virtual World which allows customers to get a virtual feel of the Harris product range, a new range of transmitters, energy efficiency and green products. Many other companies are slated to use the platform to unveil a host of products. Grass Valley executives said the traffic for the show seemed to be a little slower than last year, but added the weekend is likely to see things speed up a bit. Last year, around 50,000 visitors turned up from all over the world. Expect the number to be crossed this year.
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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.
