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Times Group invests $4 mn in Instamedia
MUMBAI: Times Internet Ltd, a subsidiary of The Times of India Group, has invested $4 million in Instamedia Network, the content network and creator of Software as a Service (SaaS) based content platform, Instapress.
Instamedia Network has secured the funds as a part of its Series-A funding.
Instamedia will use the funds to grow the company‘s network of writers and accelerate its technology platform development. It also plans to launch local sites, targeting the European and US audiences, which already drive over 60 per cent of their traffic.
“We are excited at the opportunity to help new, emerging media companies develop their businesses and grow the space. The entire Instamedia team has amazed us with their drive, creativity, and clarity, and we are confident that they will continue to create a large presence in the digital content ecosystem globally,” said Times of India Group director of business development Satyan Gajwani.
Instamedia runs fast growing Internet sites in verticals like lifestyle, green living and technology. Its citizen journalism platform Instablogs has over four million monthly unique visitors. “Together, these fifteen sites drive an affluent and passionate community and offer advertisers a great way to connect with their audience,” the company said.
The company is also launching its fully hosted content solution, called Instapress Content Server (ICS), which will allow other media networks to use the technology to drive greater RoI and performance from existing content production teams.
“The Times Group will be a great long-term, strategic partner. They understand this space very well and bring a lot of experience and expertise to the table. We are also honored to have Gajwani join our board. It will be a challenge for us to meet his energy and passion,” said Instamedia Network co-founder and CEO Ankit Maheshwari.
Instamedia has recently opened its second office in Noida as they scale up operations.
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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.
