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StarHub in multi-platform deal with ESS
MUMBAI: Singapore telecom operator StarHub has signed a multi-platform deal with ESPN Star Sports (ESS) to carry its portfolio of multi-media assets including television, broadband, and mobile services on a non-exclusive basis.
StarHub is a full-fledged telecommunications company providing a range of services over mobile, internet and fixed platforms in Singapore.
The deal comprises six ESPN Star Sports channels, which brings the number of dedicated sports channels on StarHub TV to 22; the broadband video player ESPN Player; and the live streaming mobile service, Mobile ESPN.
The channels and ESPN Player will be launched on StarHub TV on 14 December while Mobile ESPN will be introduced on StarHub’s Mobile platform later in December.
Sports fans can look forward to a comprehensive line-up of sports coverage on ESPN, Star Sports, the high-definition 24-hour sports channel ESPN HD, the 24-7 sports news channel ESPNews and premium cricket channels in Star Cricket and Star Cricket HD.
Customers will also be able to access ESPN Player via StarHub’s Internet TV service, TV Anywhere. Mobile ESPN apps for iPad, iPhone and Android devices will be launched soon, allowing Singapore sports fans Anywhere, Anytime access to their favourite sports.
“We are excited to welcome ESPN Star Sports back to our sports content line-up. Combined with our current spread of sports channels, viewers can now look forward to the widest range of sports programming, including all the tennis and golf majors, on our trusted network. Customers can also take advantage of our TV Anywhere service to savour exciting ‘live’ sports coverage on their personal devices on their personal devices. By delivering a comprehensive range of sports content across multiple platforms, we are confident that customers will have the finest sports viewing experience possible,” said StarHub Head of Marketing & Products Chan Kin Hung.
ESS features sports content that includes exciting football properties (the Spanish La Liga BBVA, Asian Football Confederation events); motor-racing (Formula One, SBK, MotoGP, Nascar, Dakar Rally); Grand Slam tennis (Wimbledon, Australian Open); events from the WTA Tour and ATP World and the Hopman Cup, the Golf Majors (The Masters, US Open and The Open Championship) as well as the PGA Grand Slam of Golf; popular American sports (Major League Baseball, NCAA College Football and Basketball), premier Asian sports (Asean Basketball League, OneAsia golf tournaments, HSBC Asian Five Nations); and top cricket properties (ICC events, Champions League Twenty20, international and domestic cricket from the BCCI, Cricket Australia and England and Wales Cricket Board).
“We‘re very happy to be able to offer the full range of our programming to the widest possible audience in Singapore and to return back to StarHub after two-and-a-half years away with a new long term agreement,” said ESS MD Peter Hutton.
ESPNEWS will be a complimentary channel available to all StarHub TV customers at no additional cost. With the addition of ESPN, Star Sports and ESPN HD to the Sports Group, the subscription to the Sports Group will be revised to $19.26 per month (with GST), effective from 15 January.
The Sports Group subscription includes access to ESPN Player and other sports channels such as Racquet Channel, Football Channel, SuperSports, SuperSports Arena and Setanta Sports via TV Anywhere. Currently available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, Mobile ESPN will be added to StarHub’s Gee! portal later this month. Star Cricket and Star Cricket HD will be available on the Cricket Group, which is unchanged at $32.10 per month (with GST).
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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.
