Applications
IOC awards net, mobile rights for Beijing 2008 in China to CCTV
MUMBAI: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced an agreement with CCTV.com for Internet and mobile platform exhibition rights within China for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. IOC selected CCTV.com on its capacity to guarantee full exploitation of the digital broadcast rights over a variety of platforms, by working in close co-operation with its television broadcast team. IOC was also impressed by CCTV.com’s commitment to promoting the Olympic Games and the values of the Olympic Movement in China. Over-the-air TV rights for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games were acquired by CCTV, as a member of the Asian Broadcasting Union, in 1998. IOC considered interests from several companies for the Internet and mobile platform broadcast rights in the Chinese mainland, having launched a tender in March 2007. IOC president Jacques Rogge said, “The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be a landmark moment in Olympic history and is obviously an event of huge national interest for China. Our agreement with CCTV.com represents a very exciting partnership for the Olympic Movement. We look forward to working with our broadcast partner CCTV and its digital arm, CCTV.com, to bring the excitement of the Olympic Games to a new generation of fans in China.” IOC executive board member and member of IOC TV rights and new media commission Richard Carrión said, “The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will break new boundaries in terms of digital Olympic broadcast. It was important for IOC to make sure that all potential partners understood the value of the rights and demonstrated they would fully exploit these rights in mainland China, while also providing satisfactory guarantees of anti-piracy and security measures. “By granting digital rights to CCTV.com, IOC believes that CCTV.com’s digital team will work closely with the broadcast team at CCTV to develop joint executions across media platforms. This will ensure that Chinese Olympic fans have access to the best possible Olympic coverage in 2008.” CCTV.com GM Wang Wenbin said, “The 2008 Olympic Games is a milestone both for new media broadcast in China and for the new media broadcast of the Olympic Games.”
Applications
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.
