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Jon Chu to receive Pioneer Prize at Intl Digital Emmy Awards at MipTV
MUMBAI: The Internationla Academy of television Arts and Sciences (Iatas) has announced that Jon M. Chu, the creator and director of the web series The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, is set to receive the 2011 Pioneer Prize at the International Digital Emmy® Awards, to take place on 4 April at the television trade event MipTV in Cannes, France.
The American film director and screenwriter, best known for directing the dance movie franchise Step Up and most recently directing the 3 D documentary Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, has created an online dance phenomenon with his web series THE LXD, which is redefining the quality of digital entertainment. “
Iatas president, CEO Bruce Paisner said, “Jon M. Chu is one of the most up & coming directing talents of our time and we look forward to honoring him for his innovative contributions to the field of digital entertainment with our Pioneer Prize”.
THE LXD chronicles the journey of seemingly ordinary people who discover they have extraordinary powers and must choose their place in an epic conflict between good and evil. The characters are called to join The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers to fulfill their destiny through their superpowers of dance. Since its launch domestically on Hulu in July 2010, the series has been distributed globally reaching a worldwide audience of over 350 million viewers. THE LXD was created by Jon M. Chu and produced by Chu and Hieu Ho in partnership with Agility Studios and is distributed by Paramount Digital Entertainment.
In addition to the Pioneer Prize, The International Academy will present three International Digital Emmy Awards for Digital Program: Children & Young People; Digital Program: Fiction and Digital Program: Non-Fiction.
As in previous years, the International Digital Emmy Awards will bring together over 200 professionals across the entertainment, mobile and Internet industries at an invitation-only ceremony, on the opening night of MipTV 2011.
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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.
