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BBC.com launches India focused edition
Mumbai: BBC.com, the international news website of the UK pubcaster The BBC, has launched three new editions – for India, Asia and Australia/New Zealand.
Each of the new editions will provide a more localised BBC.com experience and more bespoke news coverage.
Also, there will be an expansion of the news, sport and travel sections, more localised weather updates and increased features and video content, the BBC said.
These will be supported by BBC.com‘s commercial launch partners Finnair, UPS and Prudential Corporation Asia.
BBC.com acting MD Chris Davies said, “At present BBC.com is the leading international news website in Asia-Pacific with 11.1 million unique users per month. These editions are the response to overwhelming audience feedback and testing and will ensure even greater engagement from new and existing users.”
BBC Global News controller of digital James Montgomery added, “These three new editions reflect the BBC‘s commitment to accurate, high-quality and independent news across digital platforms. BBC.com commands levels of trust and relevance unmatched among international news providers – based on expert journalistic analysis around the globe and rooted in a deep understanding of our audiences. The launch of these dedicated editions across Asia Pacific will strengthen that offer still further.”
BBC.com has built a new team in Asia-Pacific with reporters based in Singapore working alongside journalists from the BBC‘s international news service including Soutik Biswas, and Damian Grammaticas, who are already based within the region.
The new editions will have five Specially Commissioned Reports- created from a mix of video, text and pictures.
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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.
