Applications
BBC Worldwide, Hulu bring Sci-Fi series ‘Misfits’ to US audiences
MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of BBC, has announced a major deal with Hulu to premiere the science fiction show Misfits in the U.S.
The top-rated UK series, never before seen in the U.S., will
be made available on Hulu.com and the Hulu Plus subscription service this month through an exclusive, first run, multi-year distribution deal with BBC Worldwide.
BBC Worldwide America executive VP of sales and co-productions Matt Forde said, “With growing consumer demand, the digital marketplace is opening the door to a number of interesting opportunities and BBC Worldwide is well positioned to deliver on that demand. In this deal with Hulu, one of the fastest emerging digital platforms in the U.S., viewers will now get to see one of the UK‘s most critically-acclaimed drama series – and I‘m certain they‘ll be hooked.”
Hulu senior VP of content acquisition and distribution Andy Forssell said, “As soon as the team saw Misfits, we knew the show would be a perfect addition to the high-quality premium TV programming offered on Hulu. Like the other exclusive content we‘ve offered on the site, Misfits is smart, unique, and engaging. With this summer slate, not only are we offering TV fans a great schedule of top-notch new current season content, but we are also providing additional opportunities for our advertising partners to connect with key audiences through the summer season.”
Hulu will kick-off the Bafta award-winning Misfits series on 20 June, beginning with the first two episodes of season one. New episodes will be released each week up through the current, on-air seasons. The series is produced by Clerkenwell Films for Channel 4 and distributed by BBC Worldwide.
Misfits follows five unruly teenagers, Kelly (Lauren Socha), Nathan (Robert Sheehan), Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), Alisha (Antonia Thomas), and Simon (Iwan Rheon) who are forced to do community service as payback for their crimes. But when a freak electrical storm hits their town, strange things begin to happen to them that are way out of their control. In fact, they have no idea that they‘ve actually turned into superheroes, each with a power, a power they didn‘t choose or want – a power which reveals each of their deepest, darkest insecurities. But while they just want to finish their community service and get through the challenges of everyday teenage life, fate has another task in store for them: they must save their town from the evil that has descended upon it.
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.
