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BBC Trust green signals Project Canvas
MUMBAI: The BBC Trust has given its provisional approval to the BBC to participate in the proposed joint venture ‘Project Canvas‘ that is set to bring internet access to TVs via a set-top box.
The joint venture of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five, plus BT and Carphone Warehouse aims to develop and promote a common standard that would allow viewers with a broadband connection to watch on-demand services on their television sets, such as the BBC iPlayer or the ITV Player and other Internet content and regular linear content.
Set-top boxes with the new software are expected to be available late next year.
The Trust has proposed some conditions on the BBC‘s participation in the venture to secure public value and lessen any adverse impact Project Canvas might have on the wider market, where possible.
There will now be a period of consultation on the provisional conclusions closing on 2 February after which the Trust will reach its final decision.
Said chairman of the Trust‘s strategic approvals committee Diane Coyle, “One of the BBC‘s aims is to bring the benefits of emerging communications technologies to the public. After careful consideration, the Trust has provisionally concluded that Canvas is likely to benefit license fee payers. We believe Canvas could be an important part of the way in which the BBC delivers its services in the future.
“Our provisional conclusions include some conditions on the BBC‘s involvement. These conditions are designed to help secure the public value we identified and to help minimize, where possible, any potential harmful effects on the market. We will now be consulting industry and the public on our provisional conclusions. The last stage of the process will be to consider the responses to that consultation before reaching our final decision.”
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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.
