Applications
Microsoft expands IPTV technology ecosystem
MUMBAI: At the 2007 National Association of Broadcasters conference (Nab) electronic media show in Las Vegas software major Microsoft has announced additional technology suppliers providing technologies that support the Microsoft TV Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) Edition software platform This is being deployed by several service providers worldwide. Microsoft says that the announcement illustrates the accelerating growth of the IPTV industry and Microsoft‘s commitment to work with a broad range of solutions providers to ensure ongoing industry innovation while allowing service providers the flexibility to choose from a variety of technologies to deploy IPTV services. |
The announcement features new Microsoft IPTV partners or solutions in the following categories: * Encoding solutions. Thomson Grass Valley‘s standard definition encoders support the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 standard used in IPTV Edition. * Set-top boxes. Pirelli Broadband Solutions will provide set-top boxes supporting Microsoft TV IPTV Edition. Pirelli‘s portfolio of hybrid decoders brings together IPTV and digital terrestrial TV in one multimedia platform, enabling a wide range of content bundles to be secured through conditional access system standards and digital rights management technologies. Pirelli‘s set-top boxes are based on single- chip technology and support legacy and new encoding standards such as H.264 and VC-1 at both standard and high definition. Pirelli set-top boxes can be equipped with hard drives of various storage capacities, providing additional capabilities such as local video recording, recorded-services playback, live TV pause, and time-shift recording. * Servers and storage. Sun Microsystems Inc.‘s Sun Fire x64 servers are the newest carrier-class servers to have been tested against the high-performance IPTV platforms from Microsoft. |
Research firm Yankee Group senior analyst Vince Vittore says, “With IPTV deployments now happening in most major regions around the world, the market is entering a new phase. The addition of these new technology companies to Microsoft‘s IPTV ecosystem is a clear indicator that the IPTV industry has reached a new level of maturity. “Service providers will benefit by having more technology options and the flexibility to deploy a solution that best meets their specific business objectives and the needs of their Microsoft TV Division director of the Worldwide Partner Ecosystem Joe Seidel says, ” Microsoft‘s commitment to the IPTV industry is not only to deliver a comprehensive end-to-end IPTV Edition software platform, but to constantly ensure that industry-leading solutions in all areas can work with our platform to enhance its features and functionalities. “With the relationships we are announcing we add another layer of support for our service provider customers as they continue to deploy IPTV services to consumers worldwide.” |
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.
