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Babelgum to have online channel dedicated to Giffoni Film Festival
MUMBAI: Global online TV Network Babelgum has launched a channel dedicated to the Giffoni Film Festival, the largest film festival in Europe for the younger generation which is in its 37th year. The collaboration also provides opportunities for young, independent producers across the globe to boost their profile. The Giffoni Film Festival is an annual event and enables the overall promotion of young people and film. Babelgum customers not able to attend the festival in Italy can now see the best in new talent from today’s young generation of independent producers at the same time as those attending. A selection of shorts is available from the 2006 event as well as the current film festival, running from now until 21 July. To access the content, those not already using Babelgum can register for free on www.babelgum.com. The festival will be on air on Babelgum with a selection of twelve shorts taken from the event in 2006 as well as from the current event currently taking place. Babelgum will also carry 29 trailers participating in this year’s event in lengthier format as well a selection of trailer previews from films such as The Simpsons, Ratatouille, Persepolis, Harry Potter and Shrek. Those viewing the content on Babelgum are also given the opportunity to participate as judges, almost voting through viewing clips. The short with the highest rating will be presented with the Babelgum Award for the Giffoni Film Festival online 2007 during the evening of general awards in this year’s ceremony on 21 July at the Giffoni Village. Babelgum CEO Valerio Zingarelli says, “The Giffoni Film Festival is the perfect opportunity for us to launch a series of special events on Babelgum around major independent festivals such as the Rushes Soho Shorts Festival in London and the Benicassim Music Festival in Spain, giving our customers
the chance to see them first online.”
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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.
