Applications
BBC launches mobile downloads for iplayer
MUMBAI: BBC has launched mobile downloads for its iPlayer. This enables users to download BBC‘s TV programmes directly to the smartphone or tablet for free, and keep them to enjoy for up to 30 days.
For the first time, programmes on BBC iPlayer’s app are available wherever the user wants to watch them, without having Wi-Fi or 3G signal. Users can use this underground, on planes, or any location where internet access is beyond reach. Programmes downloaded from the UK can also be viewed abroad for up to 30 days. Once the user has pressed play, he/she can keep watching for seven more days.
BBC iPlayer has helped pioneer TV on demand by offering audiences the opportunity to watch selected TV programmes for up to seven days after broadcast. The new mobile downloads feature is initially available on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices and will come to Android devices soon.
This launch builds on BBC iPlayer’s strategy to move beyond the PC and make more quality BBC content available across mobile, tablet and internet connected TVs, delivering increased value to audiences.
BBC GM, programmes, on-demand Daniel Danker said, “With mobile downloads for BBC iPlayer, you can now load up your mobile phone or tablet with hours and hours of BBC television programmes, then watch them on the road, on the tube, on a plane, without worrying about having an internet connection or running up a mobile data bill. Viewers have up to 30 days to begin watching a downloaded programme, so you can even fill up your device and take the BBC with you on holiday.”
The BBC iPlayer app can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store. Audiences who already have the BBC iPlayer app installed will be prompted to update their app via the iTunes App Store.
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.
