Applications
Sony pictures entertainment signs services deal with IBM
MUMBAI:Sony pictures entertainment (SPE) has signed a five-year $3.8 million contract with IBM to support its global financial system. The agreement, signed in Q1 2007, expands on a $4.3 million Q4 2006 contract between the two companies that was based on a competitive evaluation. IBM global business services will provide application management services for SPE‘s sap global financial applications, leveraging IBM‘s India-based global delivery capabilities. The agreement, which includes application, system development and security support responsibilities, will allow SPE‘s own IT staff to focus on other high priority new project and improvement initiatives, says an official press release. |
“Here at Sony Pictures, we have put a real priority on fiscal discipline and the integration and growth of our business on a worldwide scale. So our financial system must perform at optimum levels to give us a global view of financial and product information across our filmed entertainment business,” said SPE‘s chief financial officer David Hendler. “IBM offers us a low-cost and high quality support model for the global SAP skills that we require. We‘ve brought in global reinforcements to augment our SPE staff, have substantially reduced our support costs, and redeployed our IT and finance staff on high-value activities,” he added. Originally implemented by IBM in collaboration with SPE, the new, single financial system replaced several systems that were installed in the territories in which SPE operates. The system provides more than 2300 users real-time access to SPE financial information globally. IBM will provide operations and support services, both on site at SPE‘s Culver City headquarters and remotely from the IBM support centers in India. |
“SPE has been an entertainment industry leader in modernizing its enterprise financial systems, and the agreement to outsource global SAP financial applications support services to IBM continues that tradition of leadership,” said IBM global business services worldwide leader for media and entertainment Steven Abraham. “IBM Global Business Services‘ seamless, efficient and cost effective approach to infrastructure support enables SPE to focus its resources on core business priorities. |
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.
