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Netflix, Weinstein in deal
MUMBAI: Online video service Netflix and film studio The Weinstein Company (TWC) have announced a new multi-year licensing agreement that will make foreign language, documentary and certain other movies from The Weinstein Company exclusively available for Netflix members in the US to watch instantly.
‘The Artist‘ will make its pay TV debut exclusively on Netflix rather than on traditional premium cable. The film is expected to win Best Picture, Director, Actor trophies at the Oscar Awards. It is a silent black and white film about the dawn of talking pictures.
Also making its pay TV premiere on Netflix is ‘Undefeated‘, nominated for a 2012 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Directed by Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin, ‘Undefeated‘ follows players on a Memphis, TN inner-city high school football team as it attempts to win its first playoff game in the school‘s history.
A slate of TWC specialty films will appear exclusively on Netflix within one year of their theatrical release, including the French-language World War II drama ‘Sarah‘s Key‘, starring actress Kristin Scott Thomas; “The Intouchables;” the romantic drama ‘W.E.‘ directed by Madonna, ‘Coriolanus‘ directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes and ‘Bully‘ a documentary about bullying in America‘s schools.
Terms of the deal, the first between TWC and the world‘s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows, weren‘t disclosed.
Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said, “We couldn‘t be happier to be working again with Harvey and Bob, who have an unmatched track record of creating critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies. ‘The Artist‘ is a symbol of the Weinsteins‘ triumphant return to the top of the film business. Through deep passion, great taste and phenomenal vision, Harvey and Bob continue to surprise audiences and make history.”
TWC co-chairman Harvey Weinstein said, “It is a fantastic coup for Netflix to acquire ‘The Artist‘ and the package of additional titles. With this deal, a company that loves movies, Netflix, joins forces with a company that is built on that same love. It‘s exciting that we can offer consumers a supremely convenient way to see the kinds of movies that made us want to be in this business in the first place.”
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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.
