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National Geographic offers podcasts
MUMBAI: US broadcaster National Geographic now makes it possible for consumers to take a guided walk through the streets of Venice, experience an African safari and hear the week’s top science and nature news, with audio and video podcasts for free download.
Available at www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts as well as on iTunes and Yahoo!, the first offering of podcasts aims to inspire audiences to care about the planet by tapping into a wide range of newly produced and existing content from National Geographic. Of the 10 National Geographic offerings on the iTunes storefront, eight are in the top 75 downloads for this week.
Free audio podcasts from National Geographic include:
– National Geographic News — The week’s top science and nature news, world music features, interviews with innovators, audio quizzes and a “Photos on the Radio” feature
– Afropop Worldwide — Lively, in-depth reports on the music and culture of Africa and the Americas and their transatlantic connections
– Traveler Magazine’s ‘50 Walks of a Lifetime‘– Some of the greatest walking tours, including San Francisco, Tribeca (NY), Paris and Venice, selected by editors of National Geographic Traveler and narrated by radio and television travel authority Rudy Maxa
– National Geographic World Talk — Interviews with the world’s most compelling scientists, explorers, photographers and thinkers
– The Best of National Geographic Magazine –The best of 118 years of adventure, cultures and creature features, including the award-winning Sights & Sounds
– National Geographic Minutes — Minute-long reports on nature and science
Free video podcasts include:
– Wild Chronicles — Rare access to unknown places and in-depth reporting from the public television series Wild Chronicles, hosted by Boyd Matson and made possible by National Geographic Mission Programs and Lindblad Expeditions and presented by WLIW New York
– National Geographic Video Shorts — Videos from National Geographic, including Mysteries of Lost Civilisations, The World’s Most Unusual Foods, Extreme Healing, The World’s Toughest Jobs and spotlights on countries around the world
– National Geographic Atmosphere — Features video with ambient sound that exposes users to exotic settings and locations
– National Geographic Spotlight — Featuring one-on-one interviews with superstars from around the globe. From Brazilian crooners to Senegalese superstars, Spotlight lets the musicians speak for themselves.
National Geographic digital media VP content operations, Betsy Scolnik says, “For more than a century National Geographic has crossed borders in its storytelling. Podcasting is shaping up to be the ultimate tool for crisscrossing the globe, making it easy for everyone — from the armchair traveler to the on-the-go adventurer — to access great stories through video, audio, music and still photos.”
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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.
