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Verizon looks to take convergence between TV, mobile, net to the next level
MUMBAI: “We are the Broadband company.” That is the message that US telecom major Verizon wants to send out to consumers and the industry. |
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Verizon‘s new president and COO Denny Strigl said that the company is leading the way in the next revolution of television. “With the strength of our powerful wireless and fiber networks, we have transformed our business into one of the world‘s greatest content-delivery systems”. To prove the point, Strigl, accompanied by two of Verizon‘s most senior executives, introduced new products that marry the phone, the Internet and television for consumers in ways not available from any other company. Verizon has introduced FiOS digital media new interactive programme guide and a platform that offers the company‘s base of FiOS TV customers a myriad of multimedia applications linking television, the Internet, personal computers and phones. Both will be available in the first half of the year. At the same time, Verizon Wireless raised the curtain on V Cast Mobile TV which is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2007. Strigl detailed the two-fold strategy behind these products, which crystallises the changing nature of Verizon‘s consumer business. “At Verizon, we build great networks and we offer great content. We have built the nation‘s most comprehensive all-digital broadband fiber network that reaches all the way into individual homes, while we offer the most reliable |
Strigl adds, “Our parallel networks of fiber and wireless create a delivery system for the high-bandwidth content of today, and will meet consumers‘ needs for years to come”. Verizon says that its fiber and wireless broadband networks, and their reach, quality and speeds, provide the basis for advancing existing partnerships with technology companies such as Qualcomm. In addition, relationships with leading content providers, appearing on FiOS TV, on Verizon Online and in a variety of mobile platforms to package, format and program TV content, will combine to deliver a suprior overall TV experience says the firm. |
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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.
