Applications
9X Media partners with Vserv.mobi for app monetization
MUMBAI: Music television network – 9X Media has appointed Vserv.mobi, a global mobile ad network for app developers, publishers and advertisers, as its exclusive application monetisation partner for its games and applications on the android platform.
Vserv.mobi will monetize 9XM‘s entertainment apps on the platform via premium ads powered by the Vserv AppWrapper.
The network already has music and gaming apps on the IOS platform. The 9X Music Network Android App is used for live streaming of 9XM, 9X Jalwa, 9X Tashan and 9X Jhakaas. The network has also launched Android apps featuring 9XM‘s characters – Bade and Chote. These Android apps include Joke Central which plays the signature ‘Bakwaas Bandh Kar‘ videos and Talking Buddies, which is an interactive talking app featuring ‘Bade & Chote‘.
Another offering is Amar Prem which provides content from Bollywood hits music channel 9X Jalwa and also gives the opportunity to tap one‘s BQ (Bollywood Quotient). The application has over 500 cool translations of popular Bollywood numbers. All the three apps are enabled by AppWrapper monetisation and will be available as free downloads on the Android Play Store.
Vserv.mobi VP – business development – India and Middle East Rohit Verma said, "This is a big step forward in the mainstreaming of the mobile medium." This partnership with 9X Media brings entertaining content and iconic characters from television on to the mobile medium.
Verma said with Indian content such as Joke Central and Talking buddies now being ‘APPified‘, brand advertisers on our network will be able to reach their audience in a very localised and engaging context.
9X Media SVP – digital Vibha Gosher said, "Our content is extremely popular on television and now, with consumers being addicted to mobile screens, we are bringing the same engaging experience, to the various mobile platforms through applications. Having launched 13+ IOS based Games and Applications; we are now focusing on the Andriod market space to connect with the large base of Andriod phone users. We believe mobile is the future, and partnering with Vserv.mobi enables us to monetize our efforts, while delivering our premium unique content to millions of mobile consumers."
Applications
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.
