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Indian media and entertainment techies flock to IBC2024
AMSTERDAM: IBC which is held at the Rai exhibition centre in Amsterdam in September every year is considered a very important stop in every leading broadcaster, systems integrator, OTT platform, technology provider, equipment manufacturer’s calendar. 2024 saw its importance rise even further as a record number of executives, journalists, sales folks, students descended from their planes in the famed Schipol airport and made their way to the south of the city between 13 and 16 September.
The constant refrain amongst most attendees was that IBC2024 had outscored the other famous exhibition which is held in Las Vegas – the NAB show -which until now was considered a bigger trade show. The final day is an indicator of a trade show’s success. At the Rai, stands were packed as meetings continued till post lunch and some booths had conversations continuing till as late as 3:30 pm when the exhibition was supposed to close at 4pm on 16 September.
Amongst the Indian companies which had taken up booths included: Tata Elxsi, Tata Communications, PlanetCast, Magnifi, Amagi, Canara Lighting, Ali Corp, Tabsons, UTO Solutions, Prime Focus Technologies, Workflow Labs, and Magnaquest.
The aisles were bustling with Indians as systems integrators, distributors, resellers, technology executives, engineers scoured the booths to get abreast of the latest in solutions. Techies from Disney Star India, Whistling Woods, Sun TV, Zee5, GTPL Hatway, Hathway, Prasar Bharti, Hoichoi, Jio Platforms, NDTV, among many others kept busy over the duration of the exhibition.
With the rise of streaming, mergers and acquisitions amongst media majors, cord cutting continuing, explosion in free to air, automation of work processes, the uptake of generative AI and AI as a whole, increase in adoption of the cloud, Indian industry is grappling with which way they should direct their investments in tech so that they can get an efficient return on their investments and be future ready as well. Hence, the rush to tech shows such as IBC.
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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.
