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Comedy Central US teams up with Twitter to celebrate comedy
MUMBAI: US broadcaster Comedy Central and Twitter have announced the launch of #ComedyFest.
This is a celebration of comedy and comedians to be programmed on Twitter. The five day festival, which runs from 29 April 29 to 3 May, kicks off with comedic icon Mel Brooks setting up a Twitter account at an event at LA‘s Paley Center featuring comedy legend Carl Reiner and moderator Judd Apatow.
The event will be live-streamed in Brooks‘ first tweet, and can also be viewed on CC.com. #ComedyFest will feature an all-star roster of comedic talent including 16 programmed events with more than 50 comedians. The aim of #ComedyFest is to bring the channel‘s audience – closer to comedic talents across genres and generations.
Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless said, “Twitter has become an essential medium for comedy and comedians. #ComedyFest will exist in the twittersphere – creating comedy that lives on social media. It‘s a great extension for our brand; it‘s where our audience lives.”
Twitter head of TV Fred Graver said, “Awesome to have @ComedyCentral on-air and on Twitter celebrating comedians and the rise of 140 character comedy. Please RT.”
#ComedyFest events will be live on Twitter, and fans can follow at @ComedyCentral and #ComedyFest for up-to-the-minute event coverage. Additional information including festival lineup can be viewed at CC.com, CC Tumblr, and on the CC Facebook page.
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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.
