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Canada dominates 2nd international Interactive Emmy Awards at MipTV
MUMBAI: The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences have announced the winners for the International Interactive Emmy Awards, organized for the second year in a row in Cannes, France in partnership with Reed Midem and hosted by actor Roger Bart (Desperate Housewives, The Producers). |
Canada led the evening with Zimmer Twins and ReGenesis Extended Reality Game in a tie for the Interactive Program category and BITE Television winning the Interactive Channel category, while the Interactive TV Service category went to the United Kingdom‘s BBCi. |
The Pioneer Prize was presented to BSkyB, for their innovative contributions to the field of interactive television and accepted by Sophie Turner-Laing, managing director, Sky Entertainment. “We are pleased to be celebrating once again the exciting developments of the international interactive television industry with this new competition,” said Bruce L Paisner, president & CEO of The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The black-tie ceremony was attended by over 250 international executives from the television, broadband and mobile industries including sponsors: AETN, Deutsche Telekom, Intent Mediaworks, MPS Broadband, Nokia, and Sky. The 35th International Emmy Awards Gala will be held in New York, 19 November, 2007. The 2007 International Interactive Emmy Awards Winners Interactive Program (a tie) ReGenesis Extended Zimmer Twins Interactive Channel BITE Television Interactive Channel BBCi |
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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.
