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DirecTV, Brainstorm Media partner for docu
MUMBAI: US pay TV service provider DirecTV‘s Audience Network has announced ‘Something to Talk About‘.
This is a series of socially and culturally relevant documentaries presented in association with Brainstorm Media, beginning in October on DirecTV.
In certain US cities, the films will be screened in theaters starting later this month and, in select locations, will include live discussions following the screenings.
The 12-part series includes ‘Battle For Brooklny‘ on Saturday, 20 October at 9 pm ET/PT, which will be followed by ‘Big Boys Gone Bananas‘.Each documentary will include a special, hosted introduction and will conclude with a filmmaker interview that provides an update on the current state of the documentary issue.
The films will also be available on DirecTV on Demand, DirecTV Everywhere, on home video and via electronic sell-thru.
DirecTV VP Entertainment, GM of audience network, n3D Patty Ishimoto said, “At Audience Network, we have had success in providing our customers with critically acclaimed, award-winning dramas and comedies. With Something to Talk About, we are going even further with diverse and thought-provoking documentaries that will generate a spark among our viewers and engage them in a dialogue about the relevant, impactful events and topics these films address.”
Brainstorm Media president Meyer Shwarzstein said, “Our team has been perfecting this idea for the past few years and we are thrilled that DirecTV has come on board. With their commitment to documentaries, their sophisticated audience and their willingness to support the filmmakers and movies, we couldn‘t be happier.”
‘Battle For Brooklyn‘ is a look at the very public and passionate fight waged by owners and residents facing condemnation of their property to make way for the controversial Atlantic Yards project, a massive plan to build sixteen skyscrapers and a basketball arena for the New Jersey Nets in the heart of Brooklyn.
Shot over seven years and compiled from almost 500 hours of footage, it is a tale of how far people will go to fight for what they believe in. The film is a character-driven verite that also addresses the broader social, economic, and political ramifications of condemnation and urban planning through interactions with individuals from all sides of the issue.
The film is set to open theatrically on 25 September just before the arena, Barclay‘s Center, opens on 28 September. The film, which highlights speeches by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, architect Frank Gehry, Jay Z, Bruce Ratner, Steve Buscemi and others, is a primer on grassroots activism that will inspire people to look deeper into the stories that affect their lives.
In 2009, Swedish documentary filmmaker Fredrik Gertten‘s film ‘Banansi* – recounting the lawsuit that twelve Nicaraguan plantation workers successfully brought against the fruit giant Dole Food Company – was selected for competition by the Los Angeles Film Festival. Just before the world premiere of the film, Gertten received word that the festival had decided to remove Bananas!* from competition.
The resultant legal and public relations battle with Dole Food Company is the focus of ‘Big Boys Gone Bananas!*, a classic David vs Goliath story – but it is more about freedom of speech and what happens to a documentary filmmaker when he goes up against a large corporation such as Dole Foods and how far Dole will go to shift the focus off of them and onto the filmmaker. Media spin, PR scare tactics, dirty tricks, lawsuits, and corporate bullying come into play to try and destroy the filmmaker. But, it is the people who ultimately prevail, thus creating a cautionary tale and a real life-lesson learning experience.
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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.
