Applications
CCTV uses Tandberg Television MPEG-4 AVC HD system for Fifa coverage
MUMBAI: Tandberg Television has announced that it is enabling China Central Television (CCTV) to provide its viewers with high definition coverage of live games from the Fifa 2006 World Cup in Germany.
CCTV is using Tandberg Television’s award-winning MPEG-4 AVC HD encoding and decoding solutions to maximize the bandwidth of its DS3 international link and its local delivery network.
CCTV is one of the 150 operators from 145 countries that have broadcasting rights from Fifa’s Host Broadcast Services (HBS). Live feeds from matches in 12 German cities are being broadcast around the world, including the final in Berlin on 9 July. For almost a year, CCTV has been broadcasting an HDTV service using a Tandberg MPEG-2 head-end system, states an official release.
“Broadcasting the World Cup in high definition is not only a magnificent achievement in its own right, but is also an excellent preparation for the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing,” says CCTV chief engineer Ding Wen Hua. “The implication for large-scale broadcasting in HD is immense and this is a significant event in the Chinese, and Asian, television industry.”
As well as using Tandberg’s advanced HD compression, CCTV is the first broadcaster in Asia to use the new professional multi-format MPEG-2/MPEG-4 AVC SD/HD decoder, the Tandberg RX1290, which is being launched at Broadcast Asia this week.
he Tandberg RX1290 receiver is the world’s first multi-format MPEG-2/MPEG-4 AVC decoder, capable of processing and decoding more video formats than any other receiver and enabling network operators and broadcasters to deliver content from studio to studio and across networks to regional head-ends and affiliates, the release adds.
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.
