Applications
Premiere selects NDS MediaHighway middleware solutions
MUMBAI: Pay TV operator in Germany and Austria – Premiere – has chosen the NDS MediaHighway middleware solution to set-up an interactive platform paving the way into advanced digital TV services. |
The middleware-based TV platform will enable customers to interactively use innovative add-on-services – all with the ease of using their remote control via a return channel over the internet. Based on the NDS MediaHighway middleware, Premiere will launch this innovative platform that will offer a range of TV services to Premiere subscribers from August 2006. |
NDS MediaHighway, running an open middleware language, will play a key role in operating the interactive TV architecture, that combines broadcast and IPTV technologies into a single service on a hybrid STB. The cornerstone of the new platform will be a middleware enabled easy-to-use STB user-interface, that ensures the same look and feel over a variety of STBs and provides convenient and instant access to the services. The new infrastructure will enable Premiere to further extend its exclusive content offering combined with maximum usability for the viewer. The technological architecture of the platform unites the advantages of classic broadcasting with the individual and on-demand features of the internet. While the viewer will enjoy a premium quality TV experience, customers will be able to use interactive applications such as making pay-per-view orders at the touch of the remote control on their STB. Premiere will build up its range of interactive applications and add-on-services progressively based on open application standards. NDS is working closely with Premiere to launch this platform that will mark the start of middleware-supported and advanced interactive TV services in Germany and Austria. The agreement is a major reference for the NDS MediaHighway middleware solution and the first large scale customer win for NDS in Germany. Premiere CEO Dr. Georg Kofler said, “NDS is the ideal partner for us for establishing our interactive platform. NDS MediaHighway middleware has proved itself around the world, and is already running on more than 38 million set-top-boxes. It is extremely powerful and flexible and covers all the functions that we need, from interactive and add-on services to advanced PVR technology. We are thus gaining a fast and efficient entry into modern, interactive television.” “We could not think of a better reference than Premiere for our NDS MediaHighway middleware and hybrid TV solutions. We are delighted to be working with Premiere as our first large scale customer win in Germany. NDS will be supporting the company now to unlock the opportunities of advanced, interactive television,” said NDS France vice president and general manager Caroline Le Bigot. |
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.
