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BBC Worldwide delves into digital at Showcase 2012
MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC‘s commercial arm BBC Worldwide‘s four-day TV export market, BBC Worldwide Showcase, will for the first time incorporate a dedicated digital day as it adapts to the evolution of the media industry, with speakers from Netflix and Miso in February 2012.
Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos is confirmed as a keynote speaker. He has helped Netflix become one of the industry‘s most talked about and watched companies, with over 20 million streaming subscribers in 47 countries.
Miso CEO, co-founder Somrat Niyogi will also address delegates. Miso is an internet start up that focuses on social TV viewing. Recent studies show that tapping into digital communities during transmission is becoming an increasingly important focus for broadcasters to retain audiences.
BBC Worldwide president, MD for sales and distribution Steve Macallister said: “Showcase guests this year are in for an incredibly rich experience. A new host city, hundreds of hours of the world‘s finest new television, abundance of on and off screen talent plus a whole day totally dedicated to digital exploration.
“Digital growth is a huge focus for BBC Worldwide and we‘ve made great strides in the past year. I‘m thrilled that we‘re able to bring some of the leading minds in this space to join us in Liverpool to share and debate their insights with an international delegation.”
Seminars, panels and speeches will run throughout the day addressing areas such as IPTV and connected televisions, trends in over-the-top services and discussions around standardisation in digital formats and delivery. Other keynote speakers include Mike Walsh, author of Futuretainment and CEO of innovation research agency Tomorrow, a leading authority on the digital future.
BBC Worldwide Showcase is the largest event of its kind hosted by a single distributor. Over 5000 TV buyers flock to the UK to watch the programming BBC Worldwide has to offer. The four day event, to be held at the ACC in Liverpool for the first time in its 36 year history, will take place between 26 – 29 February 2012.
BBC Worldwide Showcase, a cornerstone event for British television, provides a major boost to television exports and accounts for around 20 per cent of BBC Worldwide‘s annual programme sales. The event is an international platform for British talent as buyers view over 2,000 hours of TV content and attend premieres of brand new programmes.
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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.
