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AXN HD launches in Singapore on 25 May
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) Networks – Asia, has announced that from Monday 25 May, the new channel, AXN HD will be made available to viewers in Singapore on the pay TV platform StarHub.
SPE operates pay-TV channel brands AXN, AXN Beyond and Animax.
The new channel will be part of its Entertainment Basic Group. The channel is being positioned as one that ‘Wows!‘ through first-run action, adventure, drama, reality-TV and all-round unparalleled entertainment.
Content will include the new investigative action drama series from the US, NCIS: Los Angeles, starring Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool, the CSI crime and investigation franchise including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: NY and CSI: Miami.
SPE Networks – Asia senior VP, GM Ricky Ow says, “We believe launching AXN HD is a vital step to retaining viewer loyalty and maintaining our leading position. Going HD is a natural progression, for many of our Singapore viewers already own an HD TV set.
“AXN HD will provide the top quality visual experience that viewers now seek, with AXN’s distinctive brand of action and adventure, high-impact and world class entertainment presented in utmost clarity.”
StarHub VP of home solutions Ong Bee Lian says, “As demand changes with technology advancement, StarHub continues to enhance our services and offer viewers not just popular, but also high definition quality programmes for their viewing pleasures.”
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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.
