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Small-budget film-makers turn to Spuul.com
MUMBAI: Spuul.com, a cloud-based video streaming service, has said it will showcase small-budget movies on its platform which will allow them to reach a global audience.
Small-budget films face a great deal of difficulty in getting their films screened in theatres and multiplexes due to their limited appeal and exhibitors also don‘t find them lucrative enough.
Even movie channels avoid buying the satellite rights of these films due to apprehensions that these movies don‘t attract viewers which also limits the chances of recovering acquisition costs.
‘Ata Pata Laapata‘, a small budget comedy flick by actor Rajpal Yadav, was the initial ones to release on Spuul. The movie premiered on Spuul.com on 1 December, within a month of its theatrical opening. This follows the recent online release of ‘Future Toh Bright Hai Ji”, which started streaming on Spuul within ten days of it’s theatrical opening.
Other upcoming 2012 budget titles on Spuul include ‘Fatso’, ‘Gali Gali Chor Hain’, ‘Mere Dost Picture Abhi Baki Hai’, Staying Alive’, ‘Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai’, and ‘I am 24‘.
Spuul.com makes Indian movies available to movie buffs through its free and paid plans.
Commenting on Spuul’s commitment to distribute small budget films, Spuul Head South Asia Prakash Ramchandani said, “A number of Indian movies do not get a worldwide theatrical release due to limited number of movie screens and high traditional distribution and marketing costs. Viewers often miss out on these releases altogether or are forced to turn to piracy. A release on Spuul offers these movies greater reach and a longer shelf life, while also allowing users worldwide the convenience of anytime, anywhere viewing."
Spuul is constantly looking to work with independent filmmakers and distributors to offer them a platform to showcase their content to a worldwide audience, while empowering viewers to watch best of Indian entertainment anytime, anywhere.
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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.
