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Digitalisation the route to manage content assets
SINGAPORE: Digitalisation allows for streamlining operations and enhances ability to manage content assets. This was the focus of Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) director, technical department Wayne Heads‘ address this morning at BroadcastAsia. Showcasing the status of technology deployment in a number of key countries in the region, Heads said digitalisation significantly improved services to the viewer like interactivity. In radio, there is also an enhancement in existing services like HD Radio. There are also new services in new frequency bands with DAB, ISDB-TSB & satellite radio. New platforms are coming up with internet radio and mobile phones. Enhanced analogue is happening with Visual Radio. Many radio stations like AMP (Astro), Media Corp Radio, RTM, RNZ, KBS, TRT, IRIB, RTB, NHK are fully digital. However progress is slow in terms of transmission and receivers are the main inhibitor to progress. There are a few operations underway for the standards DAB, DAB+, DRM, DRM+, HD Radio. While Singapore is going for DAB, Australia will go for the DAB+ standard. In television, digital standards are settling down. DVB-T is leading the way in Asia. The Asean countries will adopt DVB-T which could be a major step forward. MPEG-4 AVC will help in the compression process. In terms of studio development, there has been major deployment of non-linear editing systems for post production and newsrooms by most major and medium size broadcasters. Many have digitalised transmission playout like TVNZ in New Zealand. However progress in terms of comprehensive asset management systems, has been slow to come as costs are high. HD compatible equipment is increasingly becoming the norm but the debate still continues over extra costs. As far as mobile TV goes, it is getting introduced in Korea and Japan. But there is a battle of the systems – DMB -T/S, DVB-H, MediaFlo. China, Indonesia, Malaysia and others are running trials and planning to implement this. Regulators in some countries are allowing the market to decide the system. Though receivers are expensive, variety of choice is available in the market. Content developments for small screen are on the rise and this is also being driven by 3G. In terms of media on the internet, internet radio is underway. iPOD audio content is offered. TV content downloads are on offer but copyright is a concern. The feasibility of P2P and multicasting is being studied in some countries. IPTV over broadband is taking place in Korea. What is hampering digitsation in Asia is that many countries have hardly started planning their digitalisation unlike Australia, US and the UK. While there is a long way to go, Asian broadcasters in many countries are embracing the new ecosystem.
S2 is progressively coming into service. However emission formats are still a hot issue. Should the industry go in for a progressive scan or not?
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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.
