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Google brings IIFA home, SRK and Shahid to host the event once again
MUMBAI: Millions of Bollywood fans gear up for one of India‘s biggest Film Awards to be held in Macau this weekend, the International India Film awards (IIFA). This year, IIFA is making Google its home, bringing Bollywood and all its glamour to users with a unique digital experience.
Google hopes to enhance the IIFA experience by bringing the weekend action to users through Google+, YouTube and Search. Bollywood stars will join a Hangout On-Air live from the Green carpet, YouTube will capture the glitzy pre-event parties and Knowledge Panels across Search will showcase everything the viewers need to know about the nominees.
From discussing the Union Budget with the Finance Minister to getting to chat with their favorite cricket star – Hangouts are everywhere and after so many successful ones hosted in areas such as politics, film promotions, spirituality and sports, it comes as no surprise that the platform is being taken to the next level with IIFA this year.
YouTube, too, after just wrapping up the IPL, will bring behind-the-scenes sneak peeks from the IIFA Weekend to fans. And it doesn‘t end there, now, when searching for Shah Rukh Khan or Barfi! Knowledge Panels tell you everything about the movie from within Search, without clicking on a link.
Speaking on this association, Google India marketing director Sandeep Menon said, “We are extremely excited to bring IIFA home this year. With this association we hope to ensure a never before experience to all Indian movie lovers. Since the very beginning, Google has always focused on providing the best user experience possible. We take great care to ensure that all our products ultimately serve the audience. We will be using Google+, Google Search Trends and YouTube in order to provide a great experience to the IIFA watchers. This association will help us to reach out to millions of IIFA fans and bring live action from IIFA 2013 to their desk tops and mobiles.”
The superstar of Indian Cinema, Shah Rukh Khan will play host at the upcoming 14th IIFA Awards at The Venetian Macao along with Shahid Kapoor. This year along with the impressive line-up of performances by the biggest stars in the Indian Film Industry, IIFA 2013 will also see a host of prominent personalities attend the event including Irrfan Khan, Vidya Balan, Anil Kapoor and many more.
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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.
