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IBM bags 5-year biz contract from UTV
NEW DELHI: IBM has signed a five-year business transformation deal with Ronnie Screwvala-promoted UTV Software Communications Ltd.
IBM will transform UTV‘s business processes to provide customers with high quality content and services as it continues its rapid rate of expansion.
Under this agreement announced today, UTV will work with IBM to sharpen its focus within the organisation on its core media business. Acting as the change catalyst to UTV, IBM will be implementing various business transformation initiatives over the next few years.
UTV, the integrated global media and entertainment company, intends to streamline the company’s finance and accounts, rights management, procurement, projects, material management, and other key functions by implementing an enterprise-wide SAP solution.
For UTV the objective of this deal is to provide a customer-centric operating environment that delivers quality, cost-effective and value-added information services to enterprise entities, reducing total cost of ownership and providing security compliance while enabling the company to focus on its core business.
The contract also includes cloud-enabled email implementation via LotusLive iNotes, a security-rich, Web-Based email service.
UTV also plans to expand this agreement with a selection of core media business solutions including Broadcast Management System (BMS), Content Management System (CMS), and IP Rights Management, which will be implemented in various lines of businesses including broadcasting and TV content production.
“At UTV, our focus is on setting trends and not following the same. The market here is growing at a rapid pace and customers are increasingly becoming demanding, making it imperative for us to offer fresh delivery platforms and content diversity enabled by technology. Teaming with IBM not only brings domain expertise but foresight that could potentially be a game-changer in the industry,” said UTV Software Communications CFO Rajeev Wagle.
UTV operates across five verticals including broadcasting and TV content, game content, motion pictures and new media. T
“Media and entertainment companies around the globe have to be leaner and smarter than ever to overcome the technology challenges they face as they evolve in a multi-channel marketplace,” said IBM India/ South Asia director – communications sector Avinash Joshi. “Drawing on IBM’s global expertise, we will work closely with UTV in its quest towards delivering trend-setting content for its audience. At IBM, it is our resolve to provide UTV with the necessary competitive advantage as it moves towards a more efficient, customer-focused organization that delivers first class services,” he added.
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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.
