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Times Internet acquires MensXP
MUMBAI: Times Internet has announced the acquisition of mens‘ lifestyle portal MensXP.
Launched by Angad Bhatia and his team three years ago, MensXP has built a site which people have visited to learn about things that matter to them.
The company has also worked with advertisers like Burberry, LG and Samsung to help them reach the economically rising, urban Indian male looking for a cosmopolitan lifestyle, the company statement read.
According to Times Internet, their goal is to make this content even better and expose it to a bigger audience. "MensXP already has a loyal following, and our goal is to let them keep doing what they‘re doing to reach larger audiences," it said.
Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani said, "This is really exciting for us because not only are we bringing in a strong platform, but we are bringing onboard an awesome, entreprenurial team that has a huge vision for their business. Times Internet is focused on bringing on great entrepreneurs that can take their businesses to the next level with our support."
"We are extremely excited to work with TIL, especially at a phase that is witnessing the organisation undergo a paradigm shift in the way it does business. The acquisition will help MensXP further its vision to be the defacto lifestyle platform for Indian consumers. I am happy that Satyan believes in our vision and together we will aim build something great," MensXP.com founder and business head Angad Bhatia said.
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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.
