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Roku receives $60 mn investment from institutional investor
MUMBAI: California headquartered Roku, which creates streaming software platform for delivering video, music and casual games to the TV has announced that it has received a $60 million investment that readies the company for growth around its streaming software and services businesses. Led by institutional investors, the investment includes participation from large global media and television distribution companies.
Two new Roku investors participated in the Series F round-the institutional investor and Hearst. They join prior Roku investors, including BSkyB and News Corp in the Series F round.
The new investment will fuel Roku‘s growth which has accelerated in the last year. Best known for its lineup of streaming players, including the new Roku 3 which has quickly become the new streaming standard in the US, the company is extending its streaming platform by working with other consumer electronics brands. Today, Roku is working with two dozen OEMs who are making more than 3.5 million Roku Ready® devices, predominantly TVs that will be in retail by the end of the year. Roku Ready devices access the Roku streaming platform through the Roku Streaming Stick™, a small USB-sized device sold by Roku. In the coming months, Roku will continue to expand access points to its streaming platform.
Hearst Ventures senior MD Ken Bronfin said, “Roku has built a strong brand that is widely recognised for great technology and a broad selection of high-quality content. We are truly impressed that Roku has built such a unique position in the market and we look forward to working with them to develop innovative products and services for our television audiences.”
As well as expanding distribution for its platform, Roku continues to provide streaming entertainment made for the TV experience. Last year Roku had streamed more than one billion hours of video and music.
Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood said, “Roku has a significant portfolio of investment and strategic partners with very successful global businesses. Their recognition of our brand success and belief in the Roku platform is a tremendous endorsement of our potential to shape the future television experience.”
“BSkyB and News Corporation are exceptional partners and we look forward to deepening our relationship with Hearst in the months to come,” he added.
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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.
