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Orange CEO Sanjiv Ahuja to deliver keynote address as Mobile TV takes centre stage at Mipcom 2006
MUMBAI: Mobile TV is being touted as one of the biggest trends in the world of technology and as the future service to subscribers by telecom operators. Kicking off on 11 October, the Mipcom‘s Mobile TV will see an exclusive keynote address given by Europe‘s integrated operator Orange CEO Sanjiv Ahuja, and will conclude with Mipcom‘s second annual Mobile TV screenings and awards.
Ahuja will discuss the content initiatives at Orange, a division of France Telecom. and will share his vision of the tremendous potential for mobile entertainment and explore the opportunities offered by mobile broadband in the always-on, anytime, any-place era. He will also outline the most recent initiatives taken by Orange through service and network convergence to provide a pocket-sized entertainment centre, informs an official release.
“Orange is evolving into a one-stop-shop for our customers‘ communication and entertainment needs. Television and TV content is central to our strategy,” says Ahuja. “I am delighted to have the opportunity of discussing the possibilities of converging technologies with Mipcom delegates. Everything we thought we knew about this industry is changing. With new ways to create, consume and pay for content, only players with open eyes and open minds can win.”
Ahuja joined Orange in April 2003 as COO, and was appointed CEO in March 2004. Prior to Orange, he was CEO of California-based technology company, Comstellar Technologies and was president of Telcordia Technologies (formerly Bellcore). Previously, he spent fifteen years at IBM in various executive roles.
In addition to Ahuja‘s keynote and the Mobile Awards programme, this year‘s conference programme entitled Reshaping Media, will feature 30 sessions with over 100 speakers in addition to four other prestigious keynotes, from Disney Media Networks co-chair and president Disney-ABC Television Group Anne Sweeney, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. chairman and CEO Harry Sloan, NBC Universal president digital media and market development Beth Comstock and ESPN Inc. president and ABC Sports co-chairman George Bodenheimer.
An integral part of Mipcom 2006‘s mobile focus are the Mobile TV screenings and awards. Cutting-edge made-for-mobile content from around the globe will be showcased during the screenings and the prizes will be awarded in the evening of the same day.
Last year‘s programme attracted 220 entries, from 110 companies and 28 countries. For the second consecutive year, the contest will recognise and reward innovation and creativity in made-for-mobile formats.
Reed Midem director of television Paul Johnson comments, “Our markets continue to attract the best players in the mobile entertainment industry from all over the world. Our commitment is to help the creative industry move forward on this new medium for entertainment content. Last year‘s awards already generated great business opportunities for the companies who entered the competition. We expect a growing and thriving mobile content market, and therefore even more entries this year. And naturally, the Ahuja keynote reflects the importance the mobile industry places on content within their future strategy.”
The award categories continue to emphasize made for mobile film, TV and animation content and also recognize the growing importance of user generated content. The award categories are: Best original made-for-mobile film or video content; Best repurposed content from existing Film or TV property; Best made-for-mobile TV channel; Best format for interactive mobile TV and best mobile format for user-generated content. In addition to these five categories,there will also be The Jury‘s Grand Prize for Innovation, given to the most innovative company.
The deadline for entries for the Mobile Awards is 4 September. A pre-screening jury will nominate a selection of projects to be invited to Cannes for the Grand Jury judging on 9 October.
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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.
