Applications
Fastway Transmissions signs up as a key Synamedia Converged Headend customer in India
KOLKATA: Synamedia, the independent video software provider, announced its partnership with the fifth largest multi-system operator in India, Fastway Transmissions. Fastway is the first provider in India to go live with Synamedia’s Converged Headend solution. The deployment will allow Fastway to bring together its video service and IP workflows to deliver a broadcast-quality viewing experience on any screen for its millions of subscribers, managed through Synamedia Video Network Service Manager.
The Synamedia Converged Headend solution will simplify and optimize Fastway’s video workflows, resulting in cost and operational efficiencies while allowing Fastway to increase the volume of content it delivers over its existing networks. Converged Headend features the industry’s broadest functionality in a single solution including: acquisition and multiplexing, encoding, transcoding, ad insertion, packaging, content protection, origin services, and reliable IP transport.
Fastway is one of the first large operators in India to transition to a software-centric video processing platform. The Converged Headend solution will be deployed on premise and is designed to be easily extended to the cloud, or a hybrid environment in the future.
Fastway will use Synamedia virtualized Digital Content Manager (vDCM) to boost the monetization of its content investments and accelerate the trial and launch of new channels and services in the future. The operator already uses Synamedia solutions for broadcast, security, IP delivery and STB software.
Fastway Transmissions Group CEO Prem Ojha commented, “Deploying a Converged Headend Solution is an important technology investment as we set out our ambitious plans for new services and subscriber growth. This resonates with our strategy to enhance our customer service experience on an ongoing basis and will act as a catalyst for the growth of our video and triple play subscribers. The Synamedia team not only solved our technical challenges, they were able to look several steps ahead to ensure we have the best building blocks in place for the future.”
“The pace of change in the Indian pay-TV industry is relentless and competition is intense. With Converged Headend, Fastway will benefit from a single workflow for both cable and IP streams , making it possible to quickly adapt to local market needs with new services. This more streamlined, efficient infrastructure will deliver operational efficiencies, cut costs and give subscribers a high-quality viewing experience on any screen,” Synamedia APAC and Latin America executive vice president and general manager Sue Couto said.
Synamedia’s video network portfolio powers premium quality broadcast and broadband video for more than 1,000 operators worldwide and 100 million daily viewers. Its video distribution, processing and delivery services and solutions create compelling live multi-screen experiences, enable software-defined video processing and unify operations. The award-winning portfolio also touts a cloud-ready, converged broadcast and broadband end-to-end ATSC 3.0 offering and low latency solutions for live video. Its virtualized DCM features live transcoding to multiple bit rates and formats, scalable video functions and best-in-class video quality all aimed to deliver infinite entertainment.
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.
