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Mipcom announces nominations for annual Mobile TV Screenings and Awards
MUMBAI: The global television trade event Mipcom has announced the nominations for the second annual Mobile TV Screenings & Awards. 23 nominations and 10 special mentions will be presented during MIPCOM and the winners will be announced in a special screenings and awards Ceremony to be held in the Palais des Festivals, Cannes on 11 October, 2006. Sponsored by Orange, Ericsson and the Korean Broadcasting Commission, the Mobile Screenings & Awards 2006 brought in a record number of 290 entries from 34 countries. This marks a 30 per cent increase in submissions from 2005. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For the second year running the competition recognises innovation and creativity in new mobile entertainment concepts and formats especially related to audiovisual TV and Film content. Reed Midem’s Television Division director Paul Johnson says, “Mobile TV represents a growing opportunity for the audiovisual content industry. Mipcom is proud to take an active role in promoting the development of made-for-mobile content and facilitating commercial transactions on a global level for both TV and film.” The Pre-selection Jury head and president of London based Any Screen Productions Ferhan Cook says, “The competition has attracted an even wider variety of genres, and new approaches from both existing well known entertainment companies as well as new ones. “It is clear that the world’s creative community is hard at work, innovating new formats for the mobile medium.” | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 23 nominated entries are to be screened and judged by the Mobile TV Awards Jury at Mipcom from each of the following five categories: Best Original Made-for-Mobile Film or Video Content; Best Repurposed Content from Existing Film or TV Property; Best Made-for-Mobile TV Channel; Best Format for Interactive Mobile TV and Best Mobile format for User-Generated Content. In addition to these five categories, there will also be The Orange Grand Prize for Innovation and a special recognition mention for the Best Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) projects. The Mobile TV Screenings & Awards are a part of the Mobile TV focus on 11 October 2006. Included in the programme are a number of conferences focusing on the distribution, marketing and creation of audiovisual mobile content; including keynote addresses by Orange CEO Sanjiv Ahuja and ESPN president, and ABC Sports co-Chairman George Bodenheimer. The nominees in various categories are: Category 1:
Category 2:
Category 3:
Category 4:
Category 5:
Category 6: Mobile Awards Special Mention
Category 7: Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) Special Mention
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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.
