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9XM relaunches in UK on Sky
MUMBAI: 9XM, the Bollywood music channel from the 9X Media stable, is relaunching in the UK on 14 February, a top executive confirmed.
The channel is reentering the UK market after a gap of two years and has signed on World Media Connect to handle its sales and marketing for the channel.
The free-to-air channel will be available on the Sky Digital platform Channel No 851.
9X Media Sr VP and business head Punit Pandey said, “The launch of 9XM in the United Kingdom is part of our growth plans. Bollywood music today has fans across the globe and we hope that the channel will have the similar success it had last time.”
In August 2009, the cash-strapped company had closed the general entertainment channel 9X and changed 9XM in UK to a hybrid music and entertainment channel. However, things didn’t turn up and the hybrid channel was also closed down in early 2010.
Pandey said that 9XM will have the initial format of back to back music with the animated characters. “The format remains the same like we have here and the characters will talk in relevant language,” he said.
9XM UK will have to fight with other music channels like B4U Music, Music India, Zing and Brit Asia TV.
9XM UK will air music apart from animated shows presented by animated characters, including Bade, Chote who host the most popular ‘Bakwaas Band Kar’ show, Bheegi Billi, Ullu Da Patha and Bollywood XTRA Large.
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9XM to cease operations in UK
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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.
