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Bennett Media inks global HD content deals
MUMBAI: Bennett Media Worldwide (BMW), the in-house distribution unit for The Bennett Group, closed a number of deals during July. Meeting the ever-increasing worldwide demand for high definition programming, BMW experienced a 100 per cent jump in international coverage during this 30-day period and now reaches 140 territories. Playboy Latin America Channel has acquired cable TV rights for Bikini Destinations, Destination X, Xotic Xtreme, The Wild Side, Bikini Life Adventures and Beyond the List in several countries including Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Argentina. Fox International Channels has secured non-standard transmission rights for Bikini Destinations, The Wild Side and Girls Fight Club in several countries including Bahrain, Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. TU Media in Korea has secured DMB rights for Bikini Destinations, Beyond the List and Bikini Life Adventures. Virgin Media has secured VOD rights for Bikini Destinations in the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Channel Islands. Cineland in Greece has acquired DVD rights to Bikini Destinations, Beyond the List and Bikini Life Adventures.
Shin Broadband Internet in Thailand has acquired satellite, HD and VOD rights for Bennett’s entire library of programming. Foxtel in Australia has acquired satellite rights to Bikini Destinations, Renegade Road, Hawaiian Tropic Spring Break, American Wild Side, Best of Hawaiian Tropic Girls, Xotic Xtreme and Stag.
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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.
