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AXN partners CU MEDIA to expand reach in Korea
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Entertainment Network‘s English entertainment channel AXN has entered into a joint venture with CU Media, a subsidiary of C&M Co, to manage and operate AXN in Korea.
The JV will facilitate AXN‘s current programming of Korean subtitled English language shows to be further localised with the addition of Korean content. The partnership with CU Media will also see a lead to expansion of AXN‘s distribution into cable.
SPE Networks – Asia senior vice president and GM Ricky Ow said, “AXN is our flagship channel brand and has been the leading international channel in Asia for many years. Since its launch in Korea, it has been very well-received, as can be seen by the distribution growth achieved over a relatively short span of time. I am excited about this joint venture because this gives us the opportunity to further localise AXN, as well as significantly expand our brand presence and viewership.”
AXN entered the Korea market in July 2005 as a foreign retransmission channel, providing US programmes such as CSI and Law & Order.
In the last five years, AXN launched HD services, became the first international channel to secure carriage on all three IPTV platforms, and signed deals with multiple system operators, CJ Hellovision and On Media, to launch AXN on cable.
AXN in Korea claims a combined reach of over 4 million households including Cable and SkyLife.
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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.
