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CBS to broadcast video gaming event for television
MUMBAI: On 29 July, American television network CBS will become the first broadcaster to cover a video game tournament as a sporting event. According to The New York Times (NYT), CBS will broadcast edited moments from the World Series of Video Games Tournament held in Louisville, Kentucky last month. CBS Sports senior VP Rob Correa said, “Who knows, in 10 years we could be looking back on this as a very significant moment. There are an enormous amount of people of all ages who play video games these days, so we’re going to try to see if video games’ popularity can translate into a viable television audience.” However, it is not the first time that video game coverage will appear on television. Cable networks like Spike, ESPN and USA have occasionally shown game coverage and smaller networks like G4 and Gameplay HD have focused on gaming culture, says the NYT report. Considering that Americans bought about $13 billion worth of video game systems and software last year, more than they spent at the film box office (around $10 billion), there is reason why advertisers have shown interest in CBS‘ broadcast. The current list of sponsors includes KFC, Intel and the Marines. “Every sport and every entertainment medium has to be presented differently, and we are just starting to figure out what works for video games,” said Games Media Properties president Matthew Ringel, speaking to NYT. The company produced the world series of video games the finals of which CBS is broadcasting. “The audience knows how to watch a music video. They know how to watch boxing. And now all of a sudden they are in this fantasy world. So we need to bring them into that world and give them the help they need to understand what is happening,” he said. Other major broadcast networks have, however, said that they have no major plans to cover video games as a sporting event. This is a sharp contrast to a country like South Korea where video games are one of the most popular pastimes and three full-time video game television networks.
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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.
