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BBC Worldwide launches Doctor Who online store in Australia
MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC‘s commercial arm BBC Worldwide has announced the arrival of its first dedicated Doctor Who e-commerce site in Australia with free delivery.
Fans who want to mark the show‘s 50th anniversary with a keepsake or a gift can now get direct access to the latest and most popular products at the official BBC Worldwide Australia website.
Over 400 clothing, merchandise, toys and DVD products from the world‘s longest running sci-fi series will be available to purchase.
Other features of the site include: the ability to search products by Doctor as well as by price bracket; recommendations based on browsing; and the opportunity to sign up to a Doctor Who newsletter.
A special Time Lord Express service is also offered for fans who can‘t wait to get their hands on their Doctor Who goodies.
The e-commerce site follows the launch of the Doctor Who pop-up shop in Newtown, Sydney, which proved immensely popular, with fans lining up for over three hours for the opening day. The shop has been so successful that it closed after 25 days, due to so much of the product selling out. Now fans can find many of these products on the new online store.
BBC Worldwide ANZ manager licensed consumer products Elie Mansour said, “The Doctor Who pop-up shop reinforced just how passionate our fans are and we‘re thrilled to be able to offer them the convenience of a dedicated Doctor Who e-commerce site, which will allow us to connect directly with our consumers.”
BBC Worldwide ANZ has partnered with C8 Group for the fulfillment operations, customer service and, in collaboration with C8 Digital, designed and built the e-commerce website.
C8 group director Laurie Macolino said, “We‘re excited to be partnering with the BBC to launch their first dedicated e-commerce website for Doctor Who. Offering free delivery to customers in Australia and the quickest delivery service we can, orders will be dispatched on the same day if placed before 1pm and customers have the option of upgrading to a Time Lord Express service.”
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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.
