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Net2TV launches cloud-based TV service
MUMBAI: Net2TV Corporation, headed by industry veterans from MTV/Nickelodeon, Black Arrow, NBC, TiVo and Netflix, has launched its cloud-based television service, Portico.
The company provides advertising-supported, cloud-based television programming services.
Portico, which is Net2TV’s first television service, features free, ad-supported programming from CBS Interactive’s food site CHOW.com, Popular Science and WSJ Live from The Wall Street Journal. The Portico TV service is available now on 2011 and later Philips connected TVs in the US.
Net2TV’s Portico brings to Internet-connected TVs a traditional television viewing experience — free, program-length shows from recognized brands — using advanced cloud technology from ActiveVideo Networks. The programs are grouped by areas of interest such as food, science and technology, and entertainment.
“Good television — the television viewers love — is an art, not an algorithm,” said Net2TV CEO Thomas Morgan. ”We’re building television programming that lets viewers enjoy smart TV just like they do traditional television.”
Net2TV is working with online TV programmers like Discovery’s Revision3, CBS Interactive’s CHOW.com, and traditional print media brands including WSJ Live from The Wall Street Journal and Bonnier’s Popular Science to develop full program-length television shows.
Portico programming is updated daily and new types of entertainment and informational programming will be added in the future.
Net2TV works with television programmers to create packaged, long-form shows running 30 or 60 minutes per episode.
“Watching the living room TV, viewers have different expectations than when using a tablet or laptop. We create an experience for viewers who want to sit back, relax and watch,” said Net2TV co-founder and senior vice president of programming Jim Monroe.
"Our program partners have good-quality, short-form pieces. We work with them to curate these pieces and package them into program-length shows.”
Net2TV’s Portico service will be supported by a television advertising model. Advertising revenue will be split with program partners.
“Viewers appreciate that commercials help keep programming free, but commercial loads must be reasonable,” said Morgan. “A sustainable advertising-based business model comes from balancing the needs of the advertiser with those of the viewer.”
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.
