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Astro partners Irdeto for live streaming of FIFA WC
MUMBAI: Astro, the Malaysia-based cross-media broadcaster and direct-to-home (DTH) satellite pay-TV operator, has partnered with Irdeto, the firm which deals in securing and delivering premium content and digital assets.
Astro will use Irdeto’s content management solution to power the live streaming and on-demand broadband delivery of all 64 FIFA World Cup 2010 matches on the Astro B.yond Player.
Additionally, Irdeto will power mobile access to live matches via Astro sister company Maxis, offering exclusive streaming of all matches, replays and highlights.
“Astro understands platforms in terms of TV, radio, online and other media; we understand our customers and their surrounding communities, their diversity and their trends. At the same time, Astro is unique because we’ve had the privilege of starting operations and growing within Malaysia. We target ‘best in class’ partnerships and strive for integration within our partner roadmaps, leveraging our regional expertise,” said Astro CTO Paul Dale.
“We are happy to partner with them to take the World Cup experience far past traditional broadcast for Malaysians,” Dale added.
As Astro’s content hub for the ingestion, preparation and delivery of all World Cup matches to new media services, Irdeto is working with Akamai’s HD Network for live streaming in high definition and Microsoft Corp’s customised player experience with Microsoft Silverlight and Microsoft PlayReady for content protection, Irdeto is supporting the first regional deployment of Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Smooth Streaming, an adaptive bitrate technology that detects a consumer‘s broadband data transfer rate in real time and adjusts the quality of a video stream for an uninterrupted, unparalleled user experience.
The Akamai HD Network offers the largest video distribution capacity and global scale, and is optimised to help broadcasters increase audience engagement and expand revenues by complementing traditional mediums such as TV and DVD with the internet. In addition, Conviva is providing real-time audience monitoring, analytics and reporting and EVS is delivering on-demand broadcast highlights and clip packages.
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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.
