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FremantleMedia adds 2 German channels to YouTube originals
MUMBAI: FremantleMedia, creators and producers of entertainment brands, is bringing two additional channels to YouTube. The announcement was made at the Mipcom TV market.
FremantleMedia‘s German production arm, UFA, will create an urban life channel and a crime channel for the online video platform. These two new original channels YouTube is set to launch across the UK, France and Germany.
UFA‘s crime and urban life channels add to the two channels created and launched by FremantleMedia as part of YouTube‘s original channels initiative in the US earlier this year – The Pet Collective, (created and produced by FMX, FremantleMedia North America and FremantleMedia Enterprises) and THNKR (created and produced by @radical.media).
In total, FremantleMedia now operates 90 YouTube channels across 18 territories.
FremantleMedia CEO Cécile Frot-Coutaz said, “We are experts in producing original, quality programming across evolving media platforms, and have built a formidable and unrivalled position as the highest rated TV producer on YouTube. Around the world we‘re opening on average one new channel a week on YouTube, with views of our content reaching more than 2.5 billion in this year alone. We are exceptionally pleased to be building on our long-term relationship with YouTube with these two new channels from UFA in Germany, as we continue to engage viewers and monetise our content far beyond a traditional linear broadcast model.”
UFA‘s urban life YouTube channel will be centred on Berlin, tapping into the city‘s cultural zeitgeist and inspired by its rich mix of inhabitants. The channel is the brainchild of UFA Lab, which will also produce the content, supported by teamWorx and Grundy Light Entertainment. Kristian Costa-Zahn, Head of Creation at UFA Lab, will act as creative producer for the channel.
UFA is also launching an innovative crime channel that will feature expert analysis of real life crimes, criminologist insights, true crime stories and “chilling” revelations. The channel is a collaboration between UFA Lab and UFA Fernsehproduktion. Jörg Winger, the Soko Leipzig producer, will head the channel.
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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.
