Applications
AOL spruces up video portal
MUMBAI: US net service provider AOL has launched an update to its AOL Video portal (http://video.aol.com) with enhancements designed to make it even easier for consumers to find, watch and share more than 20 million videos from across the Web without having to visit multiple websites. The redesigned main page aims to make it easier for consumers to discover, search for and find millions of videos from across the Web. A redesigned video search experience leverages Truveo video search technology and features better presentation of Web search results to help users more easily find what they are looking for. A new embedded playback experience where consumers can find and watch videos from other popular video sites on the AOL Video site. AOL Video senior VP Fred McIntyre says, “Online video consumption is likely the fastest growing behavior in the history of the Internet and AOL was one of the first to bring video content to the online masses. Consumers want just one place where they can go to find and watch all of the videos they‘re looking for and our new AOL Video portal gives them just that: a single website that brings together millions of videos from across the Web.” In addition, AOL also announced the availability of a new Windows Vista-ready sidebar gadget which enables consumers to watch popular AOL Video content while using other applications. The AOL Video Gadget features five channels – News, Music, Movies, Comedy and Business – each showcasing 10 of the most recent or most popular videos in each channel. The Gadget features 12 ‘skins‘ in various colours and patterns, as well as a real-time ticker that highlights relevant videos as they are added to the Truveo search index of videos from all across the Web.
Over the past nine months consumer demand for online video has propelled the number of unique visitors (UVs) on AOL Video to grow by 300 per cent to eight million UVs per month. In the same period, page views have grown by more than 1200 per cent to 76 million.
Applications
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.
