Applications
Broadcasting Unicom selects Envivio for multi-screen TV project in China
MUMBAI: Broadcasting and Unicom New Media Co. (BUC), a partnership consisting of China Unicom and broadcaster Liaoning Radio and Television, is constructing a new headend using Envivio 4Caster C4 multi-screen solutions to provide content to a wide variety of Mobile TV, IPTV and Internet TV services across China.
Envivio is a provider of live and on-demand multi-screen IP video processing and delivery solutions to service providers and content owners worldwide.
Envivio president and CEO Julien Signés said, “BUC is creating a sophisticated, world-class headend that will provide the flexibility to deliver innovative services, while satisfying a variety of market requirements. The type of forward-thinking demonstrated by BUC is driving demand for Envivio headend solutions in China and around the world as operators look to deliver video services to a growing variety of viewing devices.”
The facility is currently being built in Shenyang City and will enable BUC to serve video to all its viewing platforms and distribution partners from a single, unified Envivio headend, dramatically reducing the complexity of the deployment and simplifying management of all its services.
A leader from BUC indicated that for this ambitious multi-screen TV project, a platform was needed that would enable the group to streamline operations by consolidating all services in a single headend. Envivio was chosen both for its experience in innovative deployments and its proven multi-screen platform that delivers the quality subscribers want and the operational elegance BUC required.
The services powered by the Envivio 4Caster C4 multi-screen headend will include:
– More than 90 IPTV channels that deliver both HD and SD formatted content for BUC’s sophisticated Guanglian IPTV service offered locally in Liaoning province and for additional distribution through BUC’s major telecom channel partners throughout China.
– High-quality content to support services on a broad array of popular mobile devices, including iPhone, iPad and major smart phones and MID devices.
– Content for numerous mobile TV services, including BUC’s own full-service mobile TV portal—(ln.tv.wo.com.cn). BUC will also support high-end video websites for China Mobile that are available throughout
China.
– The option for BUC to create an FLV formatted Internet TV service to increase the quantity and format options available to consumers.
BUC will rely on Envivio 4Caster C4 encoders to deliver services in a number of formats, including H.264 over TS for its IPTV service; multiple bitrates of H.264 and H.263 for 3GP Mobile TV; and, in the future, H.264 FLV for delivery to PCs. Additional 4Caster encoders within the headend will support the provider’s video on demand services. Envivio 4Manager™ provides control, management and configuration support for the entire headend. Envivio 4Stream gateways ensure the highest quality IP video is fed to the encoders from satellite and cable sources.
Envivio’s multi-screen solutions will be on display at BIRTV from 24-27 August at the China International Exhibition Center.
Applications
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.
