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ABC, Tivo win interactive Emmys
MUMBAI: Tivo, which creates television services for digital video recorders (DVRs) in the US and US broadcaster ABC’s online streaming video player have won interactive Emmies.
They will take home trophies at the Creative Arts Awards on 19 August.
TiVo won for achievement for enhanced or interactive programming – television. Tivo president and CEO Tom Rogers says, “Tivo is proud to receive an Emmy Award and recognition from the Academy and its peers for the innovative services that it provides in enhancing the viewing of television by bringing it to a whole new level.”
Tivo CTO and co-founder Jim Barton says, “We are committed to transforming television viewing by being the leaders in translating the latest technological developments into an easy and simple viewer experience. From our TiVoCast service to TiVo KidZone our mission is to provide subscribers the best way to watch television.”
ABC.com’s streaming video player won for achievement for enhanced or interactive programming: new delivery platforms. The Academy said, “Conventional wisdom dictated that it was not possible to provide high bit-rate streaming video, over the Internet, to large numbers of people simultaneously, while maintaining consistent quality and doing so in a cost-effective manner. ABC.com‘s full episode streaming player dispenses with those previously held beliefs as it leverages emerging technologies and digital platforms to enhance and extend the ABC television network‘s relationship with consumers.”
This year‘s Interactive Television Emmy Awards recognise original interactive television programming content, applications and services that have been deployed in the United States between 1 June, 2005 and 31 May 2006 and that have demonstrated creative excellence. Other finalists in this category include AOL Music on Demand, CNN Enhanced and DirecTV Interactive Sports.
Governor of the Television Academy‘s Interactive Media Peer Group Brian Seth Hurst says, “Tivo was the very first offering in the DVR space and it is great that they are still leading the way. The Tivo service is certainly impressive in both its offering and user experience and meets the standard of excellence. It‘s easy to see why the voters deemed it worthy of the Emmy.”
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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.
