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Colors announces official launch in UK
MUMBAI: Viacom18 Media, the joint venture between Viacom Inc. and Network 18 Group, has officially announced the launch of its flagship Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Colors in the UK.
The channel, which was soft launched in UK on 25 January, is available on sky platform’s EPG No 829.
The GEC, which was recently launched on Dish Network in US as Aapka Colors, will be available free-to-air for some time in UK and then subsequently will be added to the ViewAsia package. Colors brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan will front the channel in the UK.
The channel will offer a blend of entertainment programmes, from reality and drama series through to comedy, game shows, and Bollywood films.
“After having successfully consolidated our leadership position in India, I have no doubt that we will be able to replicate our success in key international markets like US and UK as well. One of our key strategies for UK is that there will be no lag in the telecast of episodes versus India thus ensuring that the viewers in this market are always up to speed with all of our key shows,” Viacom18 COO and Colors CEO Rajesh Kamat said in a statement.
Viacom18 Board Director and MTV Networks International’s Emerging Markets group MD and EVP Bhavneet Singh added, “Our aim is to bring compelling and innovative programming to all Hindi audiences outside the Indian sub-continent, across all generations. There is a huge appetite for Hindi language entertainment and we are confident that Colors will quickly become the ultimate family entertainment destination for Asian communities across the UK.”
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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.
