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Mipcom to create new category awards
MUMBAI: Reed Midem, which will organise the television trade event Mipcom in Cannes, from 8-12 October, has announced that the third edition of the Mipcom Mobile TV Awards has been expanded by a new partnership with the Marché du Film and the Short Film Corner, key components of the Cannes Film Festival. The partnership will introduce two new film categories into the awards. Launched at Mipcom 2005, the Mobile TV Awards honour creative excellence for new short form audiovisual entertainment content and services for mobile and, also new this year, internet media. |
The two new categories in partnership with the Marché du Film and the Short Film Corner are: 1. Best Short Film originally created or repurposed for Mobile 2. Best Film shot on a mobile device The rest of the categories for this year are Best Made-for-Mobile TV or Film Channel, Best Cross Platform & interactive Mobile TV Format, Best Mobile Service for Social Community and User-Generated Content, Best Short Form Audiovisual Entertainment made for Mobile and/or Internet Drama, Best Short Form Audiovisual Entertainment made for Mobile and/or Internet Comedy, Best Short Form Audiovisual Entertainment made for Mobile and/or Internet: Lifestyle/Music and Best Short Form Audiovisual Entertainment made for Mobile and/or Internet: Factual |
Festival de Cannes executive director of the Marché du Film Jerôme Paillard says, “The Marché du Film and the Short Film Corner are very happy to be partnering with the MIPCOM Mobile TV Awards on the two new film categories that we have developed together. We want to make these new platforms more accessible for the film industry which continues to seek new distribution possibilities and ways to enhance filmmakers’ creativity.” The call for entries for the Mipcom Mobile TV Awards will open next month. Last year’s competition brought in a record number of 290 entries from 34 countries. |
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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.
