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Pearson to invest $89.5 million in online book store Nook Media
MUMBAI: Pearson, the world‘s leading learning company, has agreed to make a strategic investment in Barnes & Noble subsidiary Nook Media, the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products.
Pearson has agreed to invest $89.5 million in cash in Nook Media at a post-money valuation of approximately $1.789 billion in exchange for preferred membership interests representing 5 per cent equity stake.
Following the closing of the transaction, Barnes & Noble will now own approximately 78.2 per cent of the Nook Media subsidiary and Microsoft, which also holds preferred membership interests, will own approximately 16.8 per cent.
Subject to certain conditions, Pearson will earn the option to purchase up to an additional five per cent ownership in Nook Media.
Pearson‘s strategic investment in Nook Media will accelerate customer access to digital content by pairing its leading expertise in online learning with Nook Media‘s expertise in online distribution and customer service. This will facilitate improved discovery of available digital content and services, as well as seamless access.
"We formed Nook Media to be a leader in the exploding market for digital content. Pearson is a forward thinking company similarly focused on reading and learning, with powerful assets and a terrific management team. We welcome their partnership in Nook Media, and look forward to working with them and Microsoft to deliver great digital experiences for our shared customers," said Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch.
Pearson North America CEO Will Ethridge said, "With this investment we have entered into a commercial agreement with Nook Media that will allow our two companies to work closely together in order to create a more seamless and effective experience for students. It is another example of our strategy of making our content and services broadly available to students and faculty through a wide range of distribution partners."
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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.
