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Banff 2011 to debate on future of TV in digital age
MUMBAI: The Banff World Media Festival, which takes place in Canada next month, has announced that this year‘s Festival will feature a hard-hitting panel discussion on the future of television in a time of unprecedented change in the way audiences interact with and consume media.
With participants representing leading voices in broadcasting, telecommunications, media production and digital video technology and services, the panel will discuss what role traditional television infrastructure and new digital technologies will play in the living room of the future, as well as what is at stake for the Canadian and international media ecosystem in these changes.
The panel will be moderated by Banff World Media Festival Foundation chair Michael Hennessey who is also Telus senior VP regulatory and government affairs.
Participants will include Rogers Communications VP, GM, Television David Purdy; Google TV global head of content Donagh O’Malley; Corus Entertainment executive VP, General Counsel Gary Maavara; Boxee co-founder and CEO Avner Ronen; Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) president and CEO Norm Bolen.
Executive Director of the Festival Ferne Cohen said, “For over 30 years, Banff has remained committed to exploring the high-impact, high-stakes issues shaping the media landscape. Interest in the evolution of over-the-top video services is definitely top-of-mind for many in the industry right now. As debates around the future of TV and digital video make front-page headlines around the world, we are certain that our delegates will be eager to hear this panel of industry leaders cut through the spin and have a frank conversation about these complex issues.”
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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.
