Applications
BT Media showcases VMC capability at IBC with Colors
AMSTERDAM: London-based IndiaCast executive vice president- head international business Govind Shahi is cock-a-hoop with delight. Reason: Viacom18’s channel Colors was selected by BT Media as part of its channel transport demo during the ongoing IBC exhibition in Amsterdam’s Rai convention centre. And he made a whistle stop visit to the venue for the initiative.
Says he: “We were the only Indian channel selected by BT Media for this exercise.”
A BT Media & Broadcast spokesperson pointed out that the idea was to “showcase how customers can seamlessly integrate their dedicated network infrastructure with our capability of using the internet to deliver live video content securely and reliably to any destination globally, with Virtual Media Connect (VMC).”
According to the spokesperson, VMC, allows BT Media to provide its customers with access to and from its London switch over its (secure, reliable transport) SRT protocol without needing any fixed infrastructure. She added that the demo exercise was to show how efficiently content can be got from BT Media’s London switch to the Rai using SRT.
She explained further: “We can get video wherever it needs to be, whenever it needs to be there with low latency at a cost-effective price. Customers are able to expand the reach of their content with us flexibly. Using the SRT protocol, we can securely and reliably deliver video content over the internet. VMC enables global customers to enjoy content from India to any destination. One of our sports production customers needed an alternative way to capture video feeds from the international hockey tournament in India for three weeks due to logistical constraints. We provided our VMC occasional use offering, which is easy to deploy, provides 24/7 monitoring by our dedicated IMC and is a cost-effective solution.”
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.
