Applications
BBC clubs bbc.com, world news under new co BBC Global News
MUMBAI: The BBC has merged commercially-funded bbc.com/news and BBC World News services into a newly created company BBC Global News Ltd.
BBC has appointed Jim Egan as the Chief Operating Officer of the newly created company.
Multimedia journalists will work on broadcast and digital output alongside each other in the newsroom, broadcasting in 27 different languages.
Its state-of-the-art new studios for BBC World News go live this autumn; HD transmission has rolled out to Asia-Pacific; and the BBC‘s news website continues the roll out of ‘responsive design‘ which optimizes the BBC site for smartphones and feature phones.
BBC Global News will also oversee the weather and sport areas of bbc.com. Jim will run this business alongside Richard Porter, Controller of English for BBC Global News who takes editorial responsibility.
Jim Egan said the aim of the changes was to unlock new multimedia opportunities by bringing the BBC‘s expertise in digital, social media and TV together in one place and running the operation as a single entity focusing on audiences, not platforms.
Egan, who will report to the BBC‘s Director of Global News, Peter Horrocks, also made a number of other announcements strengthening the digital focus of the BBC‘s international news services:
BBC World News will broadcast live from new state of the art studios in Broadcasting House from the autumn. The studios will include enhanced technology including virtual reality capability, significantly improving the look and feel of BBC World News.
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.
