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Plans for MipCube unveiled
MUMBAI: Creative platform MipCube will have a line-up of events and conferences which includes speakers from Twitter, Warner Bros. and Machinima, a new Brands and Content Masterclass and the inaugural Women in Tech and Media networking breakfast.
MipCube 2013 will feature innovators in the digital content space. An integral part of MipTV, the world‘s content market, MipCube takes place in Cannes, France from 8-11 April.
As part of a series of case studies, Twitter UK head of broadcast partnerships Dan Biddle will explore how the future of the micro-blogging site is linked to TV, thanks to its ability to cultivate audiences. MipCube participants will also get an insight into what tomorrow‘s media business will look like in the hands of the new media moguls.
Content producers Warner Bros. director/producer Kevin Tancharoen and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution head of digital programming and development Lance Sloane will explain how they produced ‘Mortal Kombat: Legacy‘, a split-screen blockbuster which was the most-viewed web series in 2011.
Experts in the interactive content space will describe how to attract, build, and scale audiences, with contributions from video entertainment network Machinima president, co-founder Philip Debevoise, and 22-year-old entrepreneur Jamal Edwards who is SB.TV Global founder, CEO.
Cisneros‘ AdsMovil company COO Jorge Rincón will also be on hand to provide a focus on the mobile Hispanic population. Meanwhile branding agency Huge chief strategy officer Gene Liebel, who developed the strategy and built the HBO Go digital platform, will discuss the importance of intuitive design and user interface in encouraging audiences to consume more content.
In a session on reinventing distribution in the ‘anywhere‘ age, digital media company Base79 founder Ashley MacKenzie, which is YouTube‘s biggest content partner in Europe, will discuss which distribution models exist for professional content creators, and how best to leverage them.
Underlining the networking opportunities which MipCube offers, a string of matchmaking sessions will involve broadcasters, including Canal + Head of Digital, Fabienne Fourquet; Canada‘s CBC executive director, studio and unscripted content Julie Bristow; brand representatives such as Paolo Bonsignore from Illy Café; and branded content experts such as Victor Knaap of Media Monk.
A new feature this year is the Brands and Content Masterclass, sponsored by Ogilvy and Mather and in partnership with Hyper Island. The Masterclass will bring together more than 80 executives working in branded entertainment from brands, agencies, production companies, TV networks, digital platforms and social networks. The objectives of this Masterclass are to learn how to create engaging branded entertainment, meet potential partners in this field, and to share best practices from a selection of some of the most successful branded entertainment campaigns.
The Masterclass will be introduced by Hyper Island CEO Johanna Frelin, and will feature contributions from ITV MD Commercial, Online and Interactive Fru Hazlitt; McLaren Group Brand Director John Allert, and Framestore executive producer Simon Whalley. Other participating brands include Renault and Swarovski, while the Newcast (Publicis), MEC and Havas agencies will also take part. In the following lunch, the 2013 Brand of the Year award will be delivered (succeeding 2012 Heineken and 2011 Amex).
Another new feature is the Women In Tech and Media Breakfast, during which the challenges women face as they shoot for greater influence in the industry will be discussed. The talents of tomorrow will be showcased in the Content 360 Pitch Competition for transmedia producers and creative agencies, this year sponsored by Russian independent broadcaster CTC Media and telco MTS; the MipCube Lab, an international competition for startups innovating in the TV field; and the TV Hack Day, featuring 15 selected developers and designers who have 48 hours to come up with what might be the next big app. All of the winners plus Brand of the Year will be showcased in the Innovation show.
MipCube also provides hands-on opportunities through workshops like the YouTube Creators Masterclass for Content Producers, run by Head of YouTube Next Lab EMEA at Google David Ripert or the Social TV Bootcamp, which will provide a live consulting session on strategies to build social TV projects.
On 7 April, as a preamble to the main event, MipCube Plus will offer a one-day think-tank dedicated to unlocking fresh business opportunities for new content creation, user engagement and monetisation models.
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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.
