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CBS Drama launches on Virgin Media
MUMBAI: CBS Chello Zone Channels, the joint venture partnership between CBS Studios International and Chello Zone, have announced that CBS Drama is to launch on the Virgin Media platform today.
The channel, which is currently carried on the Sky and Freesat platforms in the UK, showcases shows like ‘Cheers‘, ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation‘ and ‘Dallas‘, and UK shows ‘Bad Girls‘ and ‘Cutting It‘.
The launch will see Virgin Media complete the full set of CBS Chello Zone Channels, joining CBS Reality, CBS Action and Horror Channel already carried on the platform in the XL package.
New programming planned for the channel’s launch includes the network premiere of the BBC series ‘Playing The Field‘, starring Melanie Hill, Ricky Tomlinson and Lesley Sharp . Adapted from the Pete Davies novel, I Lost My Heart To The Belles, the five-series drama follows female football team Castlefield Blues from South Yorkshire.
The announcement follows the expansion of the CBS-branded channels across EMEA this month, with the new-look channels launching in 83 territories including Poland, South Africa, the Netherlands and Romania.
Chello Zone’s VP of affiliate sales Louise Cottrell said, “With the channel’s growth across the EMEA territories earlier this month, this is the perfect time to extend CBS Drama’s reach to a wider UK audience. The launch onto Virgin Media is significant as it not only means the entire CBS Chello Zone UK portfolio is now available on this platform, but offers viewers the chance to enjoy the exceptional variety of dramas on the channel in addition to the offerings of its sister channels, CBS Reality, CBS Action and Horror Channel.”
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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.
