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BBC makes TV shows available for free download
MUMBAI: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has made most of its shows available for download over the internet, free of charge. BBC director general Mark Thompson said that the arrival of the ‘on-demand‘ iPlayer is as important as the first colour broadcasts in the 1960s. The service lets users in Britain download TV shows a week after they have been telecast on television. The shows have been configured in a manner that they automatically erase themselves from the computer after a period of 30 days. BBC is confident that its copyright protection software will keep users from making copies of the shows. The network, however, faces competition from similar services provided by Channel 4 and ITV and from increasingly popular video-sharing sites such as YouTube. Presently, viewers can choose from nearly 400 hours of programming which includes shows like Planet Earth, Doctor Who and EastEnders amongst others. BBC director of future media and technology Ashley Highfield said, “We are working towards making the service universal, not just over the internet but also on cable and other TV platforms and eventually on mobiles and smart handheld devices.” Thanks to the rise of the internet and change in viewing patterns, broadcasters are now trying new means to hold on to their audiences by giving them the flexibility of watching their preferred TV shows. iPlayer can be downloaded at www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer. The facility is open for users in Britain who use computers that deploy the Microsoft XP operating system.
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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.
