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Animal Planet games to launch via Nukotoys
MUMBAI: Discovery Enterprises International (DEI), the international licensing and merchandise division of US broadcaster Discovery, has executed a first-ever global deal with Nukotoys for a series of Animal Planet games that are interactive and connective.
The games, which aim to appeal to today‘s generation of kids, will include apps for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch devices, as well as next generation collectible trading cards.
The new Animal Planet games are set to launch later this year.
Nukotoy‘s various games for Animal Planet will engage boys and girls aged 3-8 years who are curious about their world and passionate about animals. The first products to launch will be the Animal Planet Living Flash Cards, a series of virtual cards and physical trading cards – called Nukos – that come magically to life within a digital environment. By playing with the Flash Cards kids can interact with and learn more about a wide variety of animals and their natural environments.
Discovery Enterprises International senior VP Nicolas Bonard said, “Animal Planet is becoming established as ‘the‘ animal brand for young children and a sound choice for retailer partners around the world. We continually look outside traditional licensing categories for our special brands and this partnership with Nukotoys is a good example. Nukotoys‘ technical expertise and creativity will introduce new ways for kids to find out about the natural world and to experience the Animal Planet brand.”
Nukotoys co-CEO Doug Penman said, “The Animal Planet brand plus the wealth of its media archive combined with Nukotoys‘ Silicon Valley innovation and creativity is extraordinarily powerful. This Fall, we‘ll launch and iPad and iPod Touch game that uses Nukos (next-generation trading cards) to extend to the real world and back. Our goal is to entertain and inspire kids with the natural world.”
The Animal Planet licensing programme, for kids aged 3-8, celebrates all living creatures and provides children with innovative and fact-filled products based on the animal kingdom. The international licensing programme for Animal Planet is extensive and in the last year DEI has signed 50 licensees including a global publishing deal with Weldon Owen for family reference books, which launch later this year.
The first Animal Planet Kids magazine was published by DC
Thomson in the UK in February and in 2012 the magazine rolls out to more territories.
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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.
