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Star partners with Prime Focus for digital workflows
MUMBAI:Star India has commissioned digital content services group Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), a part of the Prime Focus Group, to deploy integrated, multi-platform content operations infrastructure specifically for broadcasters.
The solution, based on PFT’s Clear technology platform, will manage Star’s end-to-end digital workflows. This initiative will allow Star to drive operational efficiencies within its organisation, take more creative control of its content and leverage the opportunity to monetise new multi-platform delivery models.
PFT will create a dedicated network infrastructure connecting the digital media supply chain to Star. Under this model, production companies, brands and advertising agencies are connected by PFT via fibre to the broadcaster and ultimately to playout locations and multi-platform delivery channels to enable end-to-end file based operations.
It also deploys an integrated content operations platform. The Clear technology platform puts Star’s content at the centre of its organisation, enabling concurrent rather than sequential workflows and driving efficiency growths across the business.
It will also create a multi-platform processing, packaging and delivery infrastructure. This component will allow Star to both
monetise their content aided by data-modelling and cataloguing, and to quickly customise content for distribution across different platforms.
“The future of the broadcasting industry lies in digitisation,” said Star India COO Sanjay Gupta. “With this world-leading initiative, Star is opening the door to digital workflows, allowing us to more effectively scale our business, embrace the migration to HD and increase our focus on non-linear platforms. This is a great step forward, not just for Star, but for the broadcasting industry, and we are proud to be leading the charge.”
Star will shortly be launching HD versions of its key channels in the Indian market, and PFT has designed the content operations infrastructure to handle acquisition, QC, transcoding and delivery of HD files with Dolby E audio.
“Prime Focus Technologies is proud to be driving the transition from tape to file, recasting broadcast infrastructures to cater to next generation consumers and their multi-screen entertainment requirements,” said Prime Focus global CEO Namit Malhotra. “Together, Star and PFT are leading the industry through a pioneering change, both in India and worldwide, providing a unique approach and a production-proven platform to enable a new, Broadcast-centric digital media supply chain.”
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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.
